Klein
by Reddepth
Summary: You might say that he was lucky that day, for surviving an event so utterly catastrophic for humanity. You may be right. Follow the tale of a boy whose survival may irreparably meddle with certain, ominous forces. Not an idea he's particularly fond of, but hey, it's a Titan infested world he lives in. Life is not exactly, ideal for everyone. (OC influenced AU. T for violence.)
1. Prologue

**_The attack on Titan, it's setting and characters belong to Hajime Isayama, Wit Studio and whoever owns the rest of it._**

 ** _Reboot 'Abettor' is now up._**

* * *

 **Prologue:**

 _ **Origins**_

 **(Age 845)**

"I'm home." A red-headed boy called, as he entered a nondescript little shack. Almost immediately, he felt a large hand violently tug at his hair. The child knew that he wasn't a match for the fully grown man, the same man now hoisting him off the ground with a single, callused hand. In fact, Adler Klein was quite used to it.

"You worthless scum of the earth, why 'ave you gotta be so loud!?" Eric's glassy, gray eyes blinked at his son. The struggling child could feel blood beginning to seep into his shirt sleeve after his father had cracked a bottle full of whiskey against it. The alcohol caused the wound to sting, even worse than before.

The boy's first thought was not of fear, rather of annoyance, _He_ 's _so weird. If I don't shout 'I'm home!' like an idiot, he grills me for being impolite, but when I_ do _talk, look what happens._

"You demon!" Eric Klein roared, slamming his son against the wall. Suddenly, the intoxicated man fell over. Adler knew that at this point, his father was too drunk to function, cognitively. The man curled into a fetal position on the wood floor, sobbing, and muttering nonsensically. For anyone walking into the little shack at that specific point, their first assumption would have been that the blood covered kid had beaten up the grownup.

With a heavy sigh, Adler picked himself up. He glanced at his numbing arm and was surprised that his father hadn't completely broken the appendage, though he knew that it would scar, most vividly.

Glass fragments littered the ground from the bottle that Eric had used on Adler's arm. The boy picked up a large shard, and he observed his reflection. The crimson liquid was smeared all over his face and was slowly dripping into his shirt, gray eyes were thankfully clear.

 _So, I don't have a concussion._

He halfheartedly tried to imagine the expressions of the arrogant neighborhood kids, who had once tried to bother him about his hair color, or those of his father's obnoxious colleagues, once they saw the state he was in.

Eric Klein, who was supposed to be a proud member of the Garrison Regiment, or what it had declined to, through a slew of administrative weakness in the outskirts of Wall Maria. Most of the soldiers spent their time playing drinking games, placing bets on the fights that occasionally, broke out between the kids of the enclave. They could care less, about who actually showed up to work.

 _Inadequate_ as he was, Eric was the only 'family' Adler had left, although he could remember having a mother, once. Bertha Klein had had chestnut colored hair and sky blue eyes, and she was every bit the normal mother you would expect.

Adler's earlier memories were surprisingly, uneventful, although not unhappy. However, the strangest thing about them was a _sober_ Eric, acting like an actual, father.

Obviously, all of that came to an end.

When Adler was six, Bertha Klein had disappeared, and could not to be found. Funeral arrangements were made almost, exclusively by the Wall Church, and they required a body. Thus, Bertha was permanently classified as 'missing' in her profile at the Military Police, who made no further effort to solve the case. Slowly, but surely, she faded into non-existence within the minds of Shiganshina's inhabitants.

Not receiving any form of closure, Eric Klein broke. Rarely, did deaths occur so vaguely in Shiganshina. People often died quietly, through illness, or the more brazen, by the jaws of a Titan.

Young Adler was confused, as to why his mother had suddenly disappeared, so he naturally asked his father. Unfortunately for him, Eric seemed to have decided to put the blame on his son. After months of the boy's hesitant questions, and baleful, silent glares responding to them, Eric returned home drunk and struck Adler, blaming him for his own mother's death.

Eric Klein soon became a heavy drinker.

Over the years, Adler had learned to keep some bandages, and a bottle of disinfectant in a box behind the shack. He picked up the basket full of fruits which he had dropped when his father had attacked him. They were involved in an odd job, which he had undertaken for a neighbor.

Alda Alrick was an old widow whose husband had been a member of the Survey Corps in its early stages. The death toll of which, was higher than that of the other two regiments, combined.

She was the one to find a frightened Adler, hiding in the bushes after Eric's first physical breakdown. Being kind by nature, Alda tried to help him. She was not very effective.

Eric had ample protection, from being a Garrison soldier. Not many people were keen on joining a seemingly, unnecessary organization full of intoxicated idiots, so the MP was not keen to interfere with them, and were always delaying the investigation.

Moreover, in enclaves like Shiganshina, child abuse was not really uncommon, and was rarely, ever taken seriously.

Adler's father did not work, consistently. He'd not show up to work, several times a week. All he ever got was a halfhearted talking to and a small fine. Eric spent most of his salary in pubs, rarely did he spend anything on his only son.

Luckily, there were a number of empathetic people in the neighborhood giving Adler odd jobs to do, like collecting firewood, picking fruits, or cleaning furnaces. Adler was very handily paid for his efforts, to the extent that had suspected them to be familiar with the exact nature of his situation, but just not knowing how to help.

Alda was one of his many, 'customers'.

* * *

Adler knocked on the widow's front door. Upon answering, her striking golden eyes immediately landed on the messy patchwork on the boy's arm and forehead. He quickly handed her the basket of freshly picked fruits. He was glad that none of them were damaged by Eric's latest tantrum.

The elderly lady gently pulled on Adler's arm, prompting him to follow her inside. Alda knelt to his level and inspected the bandages. "Goodness, Adler! I thought I taught you how to dress a wound. Not to get it infected!" Her tone removed all of the bites from her words.

Alda had indeed, taught her surrogate grandson of sorts to tend to his injuries, after she had found herself unable to help the boy. At the time, she would have held the entire royal family hostage, if she had to, but Adler had insisted that he would be fine, and would come to her whenever he needed help.

"Sorry." Adler hissed as she removed the bandages. "But I felt a little dizzy, so it isn't surprising that I messed up the bandages." He slowly, added, "It isn't infected though, right?"

"No, no." Alda muttered, she sighed, and regarded the boy with a resigned look, "Whenever that fool threatens you, why don't you ever fight back?" She met his gray eyes, "Judging from the tales of you regularly, fighting off groups of bigger boys, I know that you could give a tipsy Eric, a run for his money."

In the years following his mother's death, Adler had often been forced to spend nights outside, by his irate father. The crime was less frequent in Shiganshina than in the inner city, but a little kid was an easy target for the Stohess' underground, human trafficking market.

Fortunately, Adler had seemed to have a gift for fighting. After the first few attacks, he was able to defend himself against fully grown men, if need be, by underhanded tactics.

"I don't know." Adler uttered, diverting his eyes, "Maybe, because I shouldn't have to."

* * *

Finally done with the bandages, one under the boy's hairline and another on his forearm, Alda dropped a number of coins on his hand.

Money did not grow on trees, and Adler stared at the unusually large amount, mostly because there were still two days left before he was to be paid. ". . ."

"I know." Alda regarded his confused face with open fondness, "Indulge an old lady and take it. You need it, and it's the least I can do."

The boy's lips curled upwards in a rare, real smile. "Thank you."

* * *

He thanked her again before he left.

After walking some distance, Adler heard some muffled shouts in a narrow alley.

Armin Arlert lay on the ground, arms raised in an effort to shield his head from the kicks of the three, larger boys.

The biggest one, who was also the leader Adler recognized to be Haufner, raised his fist to unleash another haymaker, but he found it gripped in a slightly smaller hand.

"Huh?" He met the redhead's unimpressed gaze. With some effort, he tried to yank his first free, but the younger boy soon let it go making Haufner stumble and nearly fall over.

"Stop being an idiot." Adler used such a casual tone, that Haufner did a double take.

"Oh, look!" He jeered, after finally regaining his composure, "It's flower-head!" The other two laughed with him.

The redhead just fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Adler." Armin gave his friend a look that told him to leave, clearly not wanting to see him get hurt. Adler noticed a book laying on the ground. Recognizing the cover, he realized the cause of conflict.

His piercing eyes met Hafner's, "Leave, now."

The teen took a step back, then seemingly appeared to remember that his adversary was a helpless nine years old.

He towered over Adler, and spat with contempt, "That freak deserved it."

"Yes," Armin's blue eyes responded with shock, but Adler continued, "classifying someone smarter than you as a 'freak' might just make sense to you, but it stops here." The blonde gave him a thankful, and somewhat sheepish look.

Adler felt a large hand grip his hair, he shook off the unpleasant memory of earlier that day and twisted it. He wrenched Haufner's arm until the teenager was crying out in pain, the two other teens broke out of their shock and tried to intervene. One pulled Adler off of their leader, before the boy slipped out of his grip, while the other swung for his face, but the redhead sidestepped it and kicked him in the gut.

"Hey, stop it!" Someone shouted out, and Adler from received a hit to his arm while his attention was diverted.

"Oh, it's Yeager!" Haufner sneered, "Bring it on!"

"Wait." One of his friends exclaimed, "Mikasa's with him, run!"

The three quickly ran off, and Adler saw a teal eyed boy with a red scarf-clad girl running towards them. He easily recognized them and helped Armin to his feet.

He tried not to show the pain in his arm, as asked Armin,

"You okay?"

The blonde nodded, moving to pick up his book.

"I bet, you can't say that for yourself" Eren Yeager taunted him, prompting Adler to halfheartedly, punch him in the shoulder.

"Shut up, Eren."

"Eren, don't give Adler such a hard time," Mikasa chastised her adoptive brother.

Eren pretended that he hadn't heard her, "Seriously, you got it handed to you." He pointed at himself, "But one look at me, and they went running."

Adler scoffed, "Quit it. We all know it was Mikasa."

All of this was in a good-natured way, which is why Adler considered these three to be his only friends.

Adler had met Eren Yeager two years prior. Once, when Eric had been told that his salary had been cut in half after he no-showed work for an entire month, he had taken all of his anger out on his son, beaten him until the boy passed out. As if trying to hide a mess, Eric then deposited Adler on a street before returning to the pub.

Grisha Yeager had been passing by, he was somewhat of a celebrity in Shiganshina, after saving its entire population from a deadly plague. The doctor took the injured boy home and treated his injuries. When asked about them, Adler stated that he had been bullied. Grisha had seemed skeptical but eventually accepted the reasoning.

The redhead had soon, been introduced to the doctor's son. The two grew closer, and Adler eventually met Armin through Eren. He even helped Mikasa to feel at home when the Ackermans were murdered. Though, she never really opened up to him.

* * *

The quartet had occupied a place next to the public water fountain, which was also a water supply for some people.

"About those idiots," Adler started, but Eren cut him off with a glare, "You don't think it's obvious."

"They caught me going on about the outside world, and how our future lies there." The blonde responded after a pause.

"Why does everyone look down on those who want to leave the Walls, one day?" Eren gritted his teeth.

"They're afraid that they'll lose, what fleeting sense of security they still have." Armin glanced at his book, "I may not agree with that sentiment, but I can see where they're coming from." He added.

Adler sighed, " I heard, that the government has forbidden any study of the outside world."

"They're our lives. We can risk them if we want." Eren was as brazen as ever.

"I won't let you." Mikasa smoothly interjected.

"I can't believe you sold me out!" He suddenly shouted.

"I never agreed to help."

Adler arched an eyebrow at the two, "What exactly happened?"

"She told my parents, is what happened!"

"Wait, your folks know about the Scouts?" Armin asked.

Eren sighed, "Yeah. They're less than pleased."

"Oh, however, will you survive?" The redhead murmured, not intending for anyone to hear him. Adler had always been envious of Eren's family. As sick of a thought as it was, even Mikasa had seemed to be luckier than him, in that regard. She went from having a pair of loving parents to another with the addition of three good friends, while Adler had lost his mother and was with Eric.

The boy was suddenly, very aware of three gazes drilling holes into him.

"What?"

Eren's teal eyes were incensed, "What happened to your arm?"

Gray eyes widened, and Adler's hands automatically moved to cover the bandages with his shirt sleeve, but Eren cut off any reply he may have been trying to manage,

"Don't even try to say, that those guys did it. I saw it, they could barely land a hit on you."

The complement flew over his head, and Adler diverted hits eyes, "I guess I must have tripped, or something."

The blonde sighed. "Adler, we know about your dad."

After a moment, Adler regarded him calmly, "What are you talking about?"

"Cut the crap." Eren had had enough. The brunette grabbed his friend by the shirt, and ground out, "Do you honestly believe, that you've been able to hide it from us, after all the years that we've known each other? We know, that that bastard beats you!"

They were beginning to attract attention, but Eren continued regardless, "Why don't you do anything? Why don't you let _us_ do anything!?"

"Just tell us the truth, Adler," Mikasa spoke in a softer tone, her onyx eyes analyzing him.

Gray eyes met teal, as the redhead used a tone that left no room for argument,

"it does not concern you."

Eren had looked _less_ than pleased, but a strong wind stole the words from his mouth. There was a bang, and the ground lurched, flinging the four several feet off the ground.

* * *

Adler heard a splash and fell on his injured elbow, emitting a pained gasp. Someone quickly pulled him to his feet.

"Are you hurt?" Armin asked.

The redhead shook his head, he noticed that Eren and Mikasa had also found their feet, and also appeared uninjured.

"An explosion?" Armin asked.

Someone shouted, and a crowd followed in its direction. The quartet joined it and once in an open area, they witnessed a sight that would forever haunt their dreams.

An enormous, crimson palm gripped the top of Wall Maria, its immense strength causing cracks to appear in the rocks near the top of the towering structure.

"It can't be! The the-that wall is fifty meters high!" Someone shouted.

"It's one of them." Eren's voice was small, so unlike its usual self.

A skeletal face, dwarfing the already massive hand, peered over the lip.

"A Titan."

The creature leaned forward, then the ground shook with far more force than before, as debris went flying and people struggled to fight the powerful tempest winds that had threatened to blow them away.

Armin's blue eyes were unnerved, "It kicked a hole inside!"

The crowd panicked.

"Eren, we have to-"

But the brunette was already staggering away, then he sprinted. Mikasa quickly followed him.

"Eren!?" The blonde felt a hand on his shoulder.

"He's probably, checking on his mother," Adler said. His eyes refocused as he suddenly remembered something.

"Armin, I need to check on something." He began to move away.

"But Adl-"

Armin's call was drowned out by the chaos of the massive crowd, and Adler's form faded away. The blonde stood frozen, terrified by whatever fate may await him. Then, the intelligence for which he had been known persevered.

Adler had faith in his friend. He hadn't wanted to leave him alone, but he needed to see that all of the people in his neighborhood were safe. They had given him food, shelter, and protection, even before the boy had met the others when he thought he was all alone with his father.

Especially, Alda Alrick. He _needed_ to make sure that she was safe.

He quickly spotted the elderly woman and ran towards her. Alda grasped the boy's shoulders, "What are you doing here!?" She screeched.

"I needed to see, that they were safe!"

Alda stared at the boy for a moment, she subsequently grabbed his hand and made both of them run. She was slowing down, fast. No Titan seemed to be near, and the two had made it through several blocks before Adler tripped.

A hand was gripping Adler's foot. From beneath the rubble, Eric Klein eyed his son with pure malice. "There's no way in Hell that I am dying before you, demon!"

Alda did not notice a lumbering figure behind her. The boy watched in helplessness, as his surrogate grandmother was seized in a giant palm. She was not even given the chance to scream and was instantly crushed, the Titan lifted her body towards its mouth, biting down with indifference.

As crimson liquid trained above him, Adler noticed someone trying to yank him away from his father.

"No! Hannes, let me kill him!" The man wailed.

"He's your son, Eric! Let go!" The Garrison soldier was finally successful and pulled the boy away. Adler distantly, noticed that Eren and Mikasa were also there.

Hannes gave Adler a pointed look, and after a moment, the boy nodded. The four of them ran towards the moat, where the escape boats were located. Through the haze, Adler noticed a kid who stood motionless. Behind him, a Titan was engaged with a lady with a pitchfork on top of a house. The creature's arm suddenly swung backward.

Adler had moved without thinking. He pushed the child out of way, instead, he was mauled by the giant appendage. Pain flared in his small frame, he felt himself being thrown into the air, he heard someone shouting his name, and felt a wetness too thin to be blood, before giving in to the unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 1

**_Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin_ and the rights to its official characters belong to _Hajime Isayama_ , _Wit Studio,_ and _Kodansha_. I really recommend ii-Pheonix-ii's 'Power to Strive', it's a good way to wait between chapters.**

* * *

 **Chapter One:**

 _ **Miracles**_

For Eren, everything had seemed to pass in a blur. He could barely function, through all of the events that had transpired that day. A day, he would never forget.

The Titans had invaded. For the first time in more than a hundred years, the Titans were carving new crests of blood within the walls. Eren knew this, of course, he did. His mother had been a victim. He had seen her body, worn and broken underneath the rubble of their house. Her lower back, completely covered by the rubble.

But she was _alive_ , so Eren had to hope. Yet, despite all of his foolish bravado and effort to lift the rubble off her, she was snatched away by a Titan. The boy had seen his mother's prone form, struggling in its grip, before going suddenly going limp.

He was still covered in her blood. All, because he had been a kid. A weak, helpless kid. If it had not been for Hannes, he would have gotten Mikasa killed, too.

Now, the three were cutting through the incensed crowd. Eren noticed the blonde man's eyes widen before he rushed towards another rough cairn. If the buried man hadn't invoked memories of the last few moments, Eren would have noticed the exchange of words between the red-haired man and Hannes, and he would have likely knocked the bastard's teeth out.

Instead, he vaguely noticed a blood-speckled Adler join them.

The larger group had bolted for the boats, but none of them noticed the redhead moving before it was too late.

"Adler, stop!" Hannes tried to grab the boy, he missed.

Eren's eyes dilated as he saw his friend running towards a smaller silhouette. Terror had frozen him rigid, and he couldn't force himself to move. Adler pushed the younger boy with enough force to move him several yards away before a giant arm collided with his frame.

Time seemed to pass slowly, as Adler's blood-soaked body flew into the air. It finally, landed in the water, and in a cruel act of irony, a few feet away from the escape boat he was meant to take.

Eren felt his body being hefted, Hannes had thrown him into a boat. Mikasa was already there.

The blonde man's eyes watered, and his face contorted in grief, as he felt the last fragment of a friend, disappear.

 _Forgive me, Bertha._

* * *

The screams finally registered, and Eren finally processed the surrealism of what had just happened. He peered over the edge of the boat and saw his childhood friend's unmoving body drifting to the surface, the color of death slowly spreading around it. He throat choked and he sobbed, helplessly. Not wanting to face it any longer, he tried to turn away and diverted his eyes.

Like uncivilized cattle being chased by hungry wolves, everyone had been blindly running, clawing, screaming and pushing against each other. People tried to jump onto the departing boats, only to fall to the murky depths below. Eren was unable to see Hannes, he had no idea where the man had went.

As the boat had moved some distance, a new 'breed' of Titan emerged. Its body seemed to be coated in some kind of gleaming armor. The menacing aberration seemed to respire fire as it breathed out of its nose.

Mikasa pulled Eren back, as the creature charged forward.

It broke through the gate of Wall Maria, rendering mankind's biggest territory obsolete.

The boat's occupants could only watch in horror as the Titans clamored through the new opening and wrecked havoc. The canal was wide enough so that no Titan could reach them, but they had to endure the screams of those less fortunate, whom they were effective, leaving behind to die.

Armin's eyes flooded with relief as they landed on the heads of two of his friends. He quickly reached them and noticed the look in their eyes that he did not yet share. He noticed that Adler wasn't with them, and his heart reached his throat as he couldn't spot that mop of dark red hair.

Armin knew better than to ask them whether they were 'OK', but his voice was small as he asked the equally daunting question,

"Where's Adler?"

Mikasa seemed to struggle to find her words, and the person who answered the blonde surprised them both.

"He's dead." Eren grit his teeth, wanting to crush the disbelieving look in the blonde's eyes

"Eren, there must be some mist-"

"He's dead, Armin." The boy repeated, tears escaping his eyes, "He was crushed by a Titan."

"His body was floating in the moat."

The other boy fell to his knees, his hands clutching his face.

"But. . . why. . . Adler?" Armin's features crumpled, "Dammit."

The two of them fell silent, as grief overcame them. They had known the boy for only a couple of years, but in that time, he had become something like a brother to them. Though a year younger, Adler had always defended Armin whenever Eren was not around, and he had done the same for Eren when the odds were not in his favor. He had been a loyal friend, much more than that, he'd always helped them clean up every mess they'd made.

He had also been one of the few people that Mikasa could cling to for support, without the need for any words to be exchanged between them.

He'd lived a harsh life, and met a similar end. Unfair and disgraceful.

 _This is a cruel world._

An ever-burning hatred consumed young Eren Yeager. He stood up and gripped the wooden railing of the shoddy escape.

"Eren-" Armin tried to speak but was silenced by his friend's baleful tone.

"I will kill them all." Eren's teal eyes dripped with terrifying sincerity. Images flashed, of Carla Yeager's killer biting on her, of a red-haired corpse floating to the surface of murky waters.

 _I'm sorry, mom, that some of the last words between us were an argument. I'm sorry Adler, that I called you a weakling for not fighting back against your father. Even. . . even though, you were much stronger than me._

His teal eyes flashed _._

 _"Every last one!"_

* * *

 _Age 847 (Two Years Later)_

A group of young soldiers stood to attention, the 104th Cadet Training Corps.

"I do not welcome you warmly! In your current state, you'd be nothing but food for the Titans! You're mere livestock!" Keith Shadis barked. He had been the Commander of the Survey Corps before the fall of Maria. Now, he was the Commandant.

"No, you're _less_ than livestock!" Shadis had been known, for being blunt.

"Over the next three years, we're going to train your worthless carcasses, and teach you how to fight Titans!"

Eren was amidst the students and listened to the man's words, attentively.

"Then, you will have to decide. Will you serve as an honorable barrier that protects the king? Or will you be a glorious soldier for humanity, that drives the Titans out! It's up to you to decide!"

Shadis proceeded to intimidate and demoralize every other cadet, skipping a few odd ones in between.

With the assembly finally over, the cadets began to depart for lunch.

"You looked like you were going to pass out., Eren remarked to Armin, who had been one of Shadis' earliest victims

"Well, I find it interesting that he didn't try to intimidate Mikasa, or you." The blonde retorted, trying not to look unnerved.

Apart from these three, all of the others had taken places in the mess hall, with the exception of one Sasha Braus who was still running laps around the camp.

Armin's blue eyes suddenly widened to twice their size.

"E-Eren. . . look."

The brunette followed his friend's gaze, and his own orbs performed a matching feat. Mikasa soon followed suit.

They saw a boy, one of the people whom Shadis had skipped, but what caught their attention was his hair of a peculiar burgundy, and that familiarly, slender build.

 _This couldn't be possible._ Was the girl's first thought, _But he looks so much like him._

Eren was the first to snap out of it, saying in an odd voice, "Come on. Let's just meet whoever it is."

They briskly walked to the other, he was walking with his back turned to them.

"Hey, wait-" Eren grabbed his arm, his words died off and his heart reached his throat.

"Adler?"

Gray eyes widened a fraction before they flashed with recognition and a small smile to accompany them, "Oh! It's you guys. I thought you were dead, or something. What's up?"

The other three blankly stared at him.

 _It's Adler, alright._ Armin internally stumbled. The actual reality of the thought finally weighed on him. It _was_ Adler, he was _alive._ A friend whose death he'd bitterly accepted two years ago.

His hair had grown longer, hanging just above his eyes, and his height slightly surpassed Eren's, but those striking gray iris' were recognizable anywhere.

He felt Eren grab his shoulder, and heard him speak with an unmistakable tremor in his voice, "We thought that you were dead for two whole years, and that's the best explanation you can come up with?"

"Show us your locket."

Adler glanced at Mikasa, who was the one who'd spoken. "Do you still have it? Where is it?"

He had always worn a small, silver locket around his neck at all times. He never mentioned why he just did. His friends had their theories, but they never bothered him too much about it. On _that_ day, Adler had not been wearing the locket.

"Get inside, maggots! Or I'll feed your rations to the horses!" The sudden, booming shout, made them all jump.

Finally, Adler reached into a pocket and pulled out the aged looking silver ornament.

A sharp pain in the back of his skull made the redhead stumble back in shock. Eren had punched him.

"You deserved it, for not telling us." Eren chuckled, resting his arm on the other boy's shoulder, and struggling to not sound choked up.

"Oh, look's like _somebody's_ gotten emotional." Armin noticed their long-lost friend's glistening eyes but decided not to ruin the moment by calling him out on it.

"S-Shut up." The brunette still wasn't able to keep the smile off of his face.

Seeing that Armin was in a similar state, Adler grabbed each of his friend's shoulders, and said dryly, "Now that you've been given a chance to pummel me, let's get to the mess hall before Shadis decides to bring _it_ to us."

* * *

The four found an empty table, and swiftly occupied it.

"What exactly happened after that day?" Armin asked, finally breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?"

Eren half shouted, barely keeping his voice down, "He _means,_ what happened to you, after day you got trampled by a _giant thumb_!"

"Eren!" Mikasa chastised.

"So, that's what it was." Eren ignored the jibe, opting to let the redhead continue, "Apparently, I drifted up the canal system, because someone found me in a moat, inside Wall Rose."

"But," Armin faltered, before slowly asking, "how were you still alive?"

Adler shrugged, "I was pretty messed up, but I guess nothing was irreparable."

"Why are you so nonchalant about it?" Eren somberly. "It's hard to remember it without getting worked up."

"You have no idea." The other boy averted his eyes to a nearby table full of laughing cadets. "The truth is if I don't treat it like a bad joke. . ."

"We understand, Adler," Armin said as he trailed off, "You always did treat everything lightly. Even back then."

"Who found you?" Mikasa asked, giving him a comforting look as she tried to change the subject.

"A Scout."

"A Scout saved you?" Adler nodded.

"Then, why didn't you join us in the refugee camps?" Eren questioned in a slightly accusing tone.

"Swindlers, Eren." Armin said in sudden realization, "There were reports that some people pretended to be refugees, they were trying to capitalize on the situation and get free supplies."

Adler spoke when Eren fell silent, "They didn't let anyone inside the camps, who hadn't been there, to begin with. So, even if I knew where you were, I wouldn't have been able to reach you." He again averted his eyes, "Besides, I was a little . . . incapacitated for some time."

It didn't go unnoticed by any of them that details of said 'incapacitation' were largely excluded.

Eren grabbed his shoulder, giving him a heartening look, "Whoever this person is, remind me to thank them one day."

He was startled by the sad look he got.

"I'm afraid, it's too late for that."

"I'm sorry, Adler." Mikasa grabbed his hand.

"Enough of that." The boy offered, "What about you guys?"

It seemed as though the two years apart had created no barriers between them. t was almost as if they were back in the meadow by the marketplace, discussing their latest adventures. The four talked as if nothing had changed, yet each knew deep inside, that was not true.

Adler learned that Eren was poised to avenge the death of his mother, by exterminating every last Titan. He wasn't sure how to feel. Even he had occasional nightmares of Alda's demise, yet he couldn't come close to imagining what Eren must have to deal with to lose a mother he had spent so much of his life with.

Still, part of him wanted to point out that Carla Yeager wouldn't have been happy to find out her son was going against her wishes and joining the military.

Still, he knew that he wanted to help Eren, just as he knew that Mikasa was going to.

Armin's grandfather had been among the many to meet their demise in the government-sanctioned, Territory Retrieval Operation. Armin wanted to make sure that such a thing never happened to anyone again.

Surprisingly, they didn't pester him for more details of his own story, and the redhead was grateful for that. As outwardly composed as he may have appeared, Adler was anything but. He had prepared himself to never seeing them again.

After a long while, with the food barely touched, the four were forced to depart to each of their dorms by an _extremely_ unhappy instructor.

* * *

As he drifted off to sleep, Adler's thoughts were no longer under his control. As much as he hated to think about the past, he found himself reminiscing.

 _The name of the Scout who saved him was Bernard Ulrich. He was on leave from the military to heal a broken shoulder blade and had found the boy floating in a moat. Having some medical experience, Bernard was able to save Adler, although he always maintained his incredulity of the success of his efforts._

 _The Scout had been able to convince Adler to stay with him until his leave time ended, keeping in mind the ample time needed to heal the boy's many broken bones and detached tendons._

 _All in all, Adler had six broken ribs, a detached collarbone, a dislocated arm, and several lacerations to boot._

Adler kept his eyes closed, trying not to think about how painful the healing process had been.

 _The boy got to know the Ulrichs, in the months he would spend in their home. The parents had both been members of the Scouts. Romance within the Scouts was very frowned upon. It was somewhat justified, as both Ulrichs had been killed in action a few years ago, leaving behind their two young sons with no family to support them._

 _Not seeing himself to possess any other notable skill, seventeen-year-old Bernard decided to join the Scouts, in order to provide for himself and his seven-year-old brother, Anton. The younger Ulrich reminded Adler uncannily, of himself. Apart from some watchful neighbors, Anton had to fend for himself until his brother had leave time to return._

 _At least, Anton had a brother who could take care of him. Scouts were handily paid because of the nature of their job, much to the ire of the locals who regularly complained that their taxes were being wasted._

 _Eventually, Bernard's leave time had ended, and he had to return to active duty. He convinced Adler to stay with his brother until he returned. Since he was still not healed enough to leave anyway, the boy agreed._

Thinking back on it, Adler realized how smart the older Ulrich had really been. In effect, by having someone look after his brother, he had a contingency plan in case he died in the field.

He died in the 53rd Expedition outside the walls, leaving it in his will that he wanted the redhead he had known for a few months to be his brother's official guardian when he came of age. A move that vastly surprised Adler.

Once he was well enough, Adler began teaching Anton how to defend himself, and how to earn money by doing odd jobs around the neighborhood. The other boy already used to be on his own, so he learned much more quickly than the redhead had. Since Anton was nearing the age where he could own up to his intention of joining the Scouts like his older brother had, Adler had decided to join the military as well.

 _I wonder what he could be up to._ The redhead mused about Anton. He wasn't really worried about the other boy's safety, especially since he had asked a certain Garrison soldier to take care of him.

He faintly smiled as he remembered that chance encounter with Hannes. The man nearly crushed the life out of him(again), when he saw him, sobbing into his shoulder about how sorry he was for 'failing' him on _that day_ , while Adler awkwardly patted his back.

With a final look at the locket his mother had given him, gray eyes finally closed.

* * *

 **A/N: Editing this chapter was hard.  Did you enjoy it? Did you hate it? Have something to share? Please leave a review, I mean, if you feel like it. It would really be great.**


	3. Chapter 2

**_Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin_ and the rights to its official characters belong to _Hajime Isayama_ , _Wit Studio,_ and _Kodansha_. I really recommend ii-Pheonix-ii's 'Power to Strive', it's a good way to wait between chapters.**

* * *

 **Chapter One:**

 _ **Miracles**_

For Eren, everything had seemed to pass in a blur. He could barely function, through all of the events that had transpired that day. A day, he would never forget.

The Titans had invaded. For the first time in more than a hundred years, the Titans were carving new crests of blood within the walls. Eren knew this, of course, he did. His mother had been a victim. He had seen her body, worn and broken underneath the rubble of their house. Her lower back, completely covered by the rubble.

But she was _alive_ , so Eren had to hope. Yet, despite all of his foolish bravado and effort to lift the rubble off her, she was snatched away by a Titan. The boy had seen his mother's prone form, struggling in its grip, before going suddenly going limp.

He was still covered in her blood. All, because he had been a kid. A weak, helpless kid. If it had not been for Hannes, he would have gotten Mikasa killed, too.

Now, the three were cutting through the incensed crowd. Eren noticed the blonde man's eyes widen before he rushed towards another rough cairn. If the buried man hadn't invoked memories of the last few moments, Eren would have noticed the exchange of words between the red-haired man and Hannes, and he would have likely knocked the bastard's teeth out.

Instead, he vaguely noticed a blood-speckled Adler join them.

The larger group had bolted for the boats, but none of them noticed the redhead moving before it was too late.

"Adler, stop!" Hannes tried to grab the boy, he missed.

Eren's eyes dilated as he saw his friend running towards a smaller silhouette. Terror had frozen him rigid, and he couldn't force himself to move. Adler pushed the younger boy with enough force to move him several yards away before a giant arm collided with his frame.

Time seemed to pass slowly, as Adler's blood-soaked body flew into the air. It finally, landed in the water, and in a cruel act of irony, a few feet away from the escape boat he was meant to take.

Eren felt his body being hefted, Hannes had thrown him into a boat. Mikasa was already there.

The blonde man's eyes watered, and his face contorted in grief, as he felt the last fragment of a friend, disappear.

 _Forgive me, Bertha._

* * *

The screams finally registered, and Eren finally processed the surrealism of what had just happened. He peered over the edge of the boat and saw his childhood friend's unmoving body drifting to the surface, the color of death slowly spreading around it. He throat choked and he sobbed, helplessly. Not wanting to face it any longer, he tried to turn away and diverted his eyes.

Like uncivilized cattle being chased by hungry wolves, everyone had been blindly running, clawing, screaming and pushing against each other. People tried to jump onto the departing boats, only to fall to the murky depths below. Eren was unable to see Hannes, he had no idea where the man had went.

As the boat had moved some distance, a new 'breed' of Titan emerged. Its body seemed to be coated in some kind of gleaming armor. The menacing aberration seemed to respire fire as it breathed out of its nose.

Mikasa pulled Eren back, as the creature charged forward.

It broke through the gate of Wall Maria, rendering mankind's biggest territory obsolete.

The boat's occupants could only watch in horror as the Titans clamored through the new opening and wrecked havoc. The canal was wide enough so that no Titan could reach them, but they had to endure the screams of those less fortunate, whom they were effective, leaving behind to die.

Armin's eyes flooded with relief as they landed on the heads of two of his friends. He quickly reached them and noticed the look in their eyes that he did not yet share. He noticed that Adler wasn't with them, and his heart reached his throat as he couldn't spot that mop of dark red hair.

Armin knew better than to ask them whether they were 'OK', but his voice was small as he asked the equally daunting question,

"Where's Adler?"

Mikasa seemed to struggle to find her words, and the person who answered the blonde surprised them both.

"He's dead." Eren grit his teeth, wanting to crush the disbelieving look in the blonde's eyes

"Eren, there must be some mist-"

"He's dead, Armin." The boy repeated, tears escaping his eyes, "He was crushed by a Titan."

"His body was floating in the moat."

The other boy fell to his knees, his hands clutching his face.

"But. . . why. . . Adler?" Armin's features crumpled, "Dammit."

The two of them fell silent, as grief overcame them. They had known the boy for only a couple of years, but in that time, he had become something like a brother to them. Though a year younger, Adler had always defended Armin whenever Eren was not around, and he had done the same for Eren when the odds were not in his favor. He had been a loyal friend, much more than that, he'd always helped them clean up every mess they'd made.

He had also been one of the few people that Mikasa could cling to for support, without the need for any words to be exchanged between them.

He'd lived a harsh life, and met a similar end. Unfair and disgraceful.

 _This is a cruel world._

An ever-burning hatred consumed young Eren Yeager. He stood up and gripped the wooden railing of the shoddy escape.

"Eren-" Armin tried to speak but was silenced by his friend's baleful tone.

"I will kill them all." Eren's teal eyes dripped with terrifying sincerity. Images flashed, of Carla Yeager's killer biting on her, of a red-haired corpse floating to the surface of murky waters.

 _I'm sorry, mom, that some of the last words between us were an argument. I'm sorry Adler, that I called you a weakling for not fighting back against your father. Even. . . even though, you were much stronger than me._

His teal eyes flashed _._

 _"Every last one!"_

* * *

 _Age 847 (Two Years Later)_

A group of young soldiers stood to attention, the 104th Cadet Training Corps.

"I do not welcome you warmly! In your current state, you'd be nothing but food for the Titans! You're mere livestock!" Keith Shadis barked. He had been the Commander of the Survey Corps before the fall of Maria. Now, he was the Commandant.

"No, you're _less_ than livestock!" Shadis had been known, for being blunt.

"Over the next three years, we're going to train your worthless carcasses, and teach you how to fight Titans!"

Eren was amidst the students and listened to the man's words, attentively.

"Then, you will have to decide. Will you serve as an honorable barrier that protects the king? Or will you be a glorious soldier for humanity, that drives the Titans out! It's up to you to decide!"

Shadis proceeded to intimidate and demoralize every other cadet, skipping a few odd ones in between.

With the assembly finally over, the cadets began to depart for lunch.

"You looked like you were going to pass out., Eren remarked to Armin, who had been one of Shadis' earliest victims

"Well, I find it interesting that he didn't try to intimidate Mikasa, or you." The blonde retorted, trying not to look unnerved.

Apart from these three, all of the others had taken places in the mess hall, with the exception of one Sasha Braus who was still running laps around the camp.

Armin's blue eyes suddenly widened to twice their size.

"E-Eren. . . look."

The brunette followed his friend's gaze, and his own orbs performed a matching feat. Mikasa soon followed suit.

They saw a boy, one of the people whom Shadis had skipped, but what caught their attention was his hair of a peculiar burgundy, and that familiarly, slender build.

 _This couldn't be possible._ Was the girl's first thought, _But he looks so much like him._

Eren was the first to snap out of it, saying in an odd voice, "Come on. Let's just meet whoever it is."

They briskly walked to the other, he was walking with his back turned to them.

"Hey, wait-" Eren grabbed his arm, his words died off and his heart reached his throat.

"Adler?"

Gray eyes widened a fraction before they flashed with recognition and a small smile to accompany them, "Oh! It's you guys. I thought you were dead, or something. What's up?"

The other three blankly stared at him.

 _It's Adler, alright._ Armin internally stumbled. The actual reality of the thought finally weighed on him. It _was_ Adler, he was _alive._ A friend whose death he'd bitterly accepted two years ago.

His hair had grown longer, hanging just above his eyes, and his height slightly surpassed Eren's, but those striking gray iris' were recognizable anywhere.

He felt Eren grab his shoulder, and heard him speak with an unmistakable tremor in his voice, "We thought that you were dead for two whole years, and that's the best explanation you can come up with?"

"Show us your locket."

Adler glanced at Mikasa, who was the one who'd spoken. "Do you still have it? Where is it?"

He had always worn a small, silver locket around his neck at all times. He never mentioned why he just did. His friends had their theories, but they never bothered him too much about it. On _that_ day, Adler had not been wearing the locket.

"Get inside, maggots! Or I'll feed your rations to the horses!" The sudden, booming shout, made them all jump.

Finally, Adler reached into a pocket and pulled out the aged looking silver ornament.

A sharp pain in the back of his skull made the redhead stumble back in shock. Eren had punched him.

"You deserved it, for not telling us." Eren chuckled, resting his arm on the other boy's shoulder, and struggling to not sound choked up.

"Oh, look's like _somebody's_ gotten emotional." Armin noticed their long-lost friend's glistening eyes but decided not to ruin the moment by calling him out on it.

"S-Shut up." The brunette still wasn't able to keep the smile off of his face.

Seeing that Armin was in a similar state, Adler grabbed each of his friend's shoulders, and said dryly, "Now that you've been given a chance to pummel me, let's get to the mess hall before Shadis decides to bring _it_ to us."

* * *

The four found an empty table, and swiftly occupied it.

"What exactly happened after that day?" Armin asked, finally breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?"

Eren half shouted, barely keeping his voice down, "He _means,_ what happened to you, after day you got trampled by a _giant thumb_!"

"Eren!" Mikasa chastised.

"So, that's what it was." Eren ignored the jibe, opting to let the redhead continue, "Apparently, I drifted up the canal system, because someone found me in a moat, inside Wall Rose."

"But," Armin faltered, before slowly asking, "how were you still alive?"

Adler shrugged, "I was pretty messed up, but I guess nothing was irreparable."

"Why are you so nonchalant about it?" Eren somberly. "It's hard to remember it without getting worked up."

"You have no idea." The other boy averted his eyes to a nearby table full of laughing cadets. "The truth is if I don't treat it like a bad joke. . ."

"We understand, Adler," Armin said as he trailed off, "You always did treat everything lightly. Even back then."

"Who found you?" Mikasa asked, giving him a comforting look as she tried to change the subject.

"A Scout."

"A Scout saved you?" Adler nodded.

"Then, why didn't you join us in the refugee camps?" Eren questioned in a slightly accusing tone.

"Swindlers, Eren." Armin said in sudden realization, "There were reports that some people pretended to be refugees, they were trying to capitalize on the situation and get free supplies."

Adler spoke when Eren fell silent, "They didn't let anyone inside the camps, who hadn't been there, to begin with. So, even if I knew where you were, I wouldn't have been able to reach you." He again averted his eyes, "Besides, I was a little . . . incapacitated for some time."

It didn't go unnoticed by any of them that details of said 'incapacitation' were largely excluded.

Eren grabbed his shoulder, giving him a heartening look, "Whoever this person is, remind me to thank them one day."

He was startled by the sad look he got.

"I'm afraid, it's too late for that."

"I'm sorry, Adler." Mikasa grabbed his hand.

"Enough of that." The boy offered, "What about you guys?"

It seemed as though the two years apart had created no barriers between them. t was almost as if they were back in the meadow by the marketplace, discussing their latest adventures. The four talked as if nothing had changed, yet each knew deep inside, that was not true.

Adler learned that Eren was poised to avenge the death of his mother, by exterminating every last Titan. He wasn't sure how to feel. Even he had occasional nightmares of Alda's demise, yet he couldn't come close to imagining what Eren must have to deal with to lose a mother he had spent so much of his life with.

Still, part of him wanted to point out that Carla Yeager wouldn't have been happy to find out her son was going against her wishes and joining the military.

Still, he knew that he wanted to help Eren, just as he knew that Mikasa was going to.

Armin's grandfather had been among the many to meet their demise in the government-sanctioned, Territory Retrieval Operation. Armin wanted to make sure that such a thing never happened to anyone again.

Surprisingly, they didn't pester him for more details of his own story, and the redhead was grateful for that. As outwardly composed as he may have appeared, Adler was anything but. He had prepared himself to never seeing them again.

After a long while, with the food barely touched, the four were forced to depart to each of their dorms by an _extremely_ unhappy instructor.

* * *

As he drifted off to sleep, Adler's thoughts were no longer under his control. As much as he hated to think about the past, he found himself reminiscing.

 _The name of the Scout who saved him was Bernard Ulrich. He was on leave from the military to heal a broken shoulder blade and had found the boy floating in a moat. Having some medical experience, Bernard was able to save Adler, although he always maintained his incredulity of the success of his efforts._

 _The Scout had been able to convince Adler to stay with him until his leave time ended, keeping in mind the ample time needed to heal the boy's many broken bones and detached tendons._

 _All in all, Adler had six broken ribs, a detached collarbone, a dislocated arm, and several lacerations to boot._

Adler kept his eyes closed, trying not to think about how painful the healing process had been.

 _The boy got to know the Ulrichs, in the months he would spend in their home. The parents had both been members of the Scouts. Romance within the Scouts was very frowned upon. It was somewhat justified, as both Ulrichs had been killed in action a few years ago, leaving behind their two young sons with no family to support them._

 _Not seeing himself to possess any other notable skill, seventeen-year-old Bernard decided to join the Scouts, in order to provide for himself and his seven-year-old brother, Anton. The younger Ulrich reminded Adler uncannily, of himself. Apart from some watchful neighbors, Anton had to fend for himself until his brother had leave time to return._

 _At least, Anton had a brother who could take care of him. Scouts were handily paid because of the nature of their job, much to the ire of the locals who regularly complained that their taxes were being wasted._

 _Eventually, Bernard's leave time had ended, and he had to return to active duty. He convinced Adler to stay with his brother until he returned. Since he was still not healed enough to leave anyway, the boy agreed._

Thinking back on it, Adler realized how smart the older Ulrich had really been. In effect, by having someone look after his brother, he had a contingency plan in case he died in the field.

He died in the 53rd Expedition outside the walls, leaving it in his will that he wanted the redhead he had known for a few months to be his brother's official guardian when he came of age. A move that vastly surprised Adler.

Once he was well enough, Adler began teaching Anton how to defend himself, and how to earn money by doing odd jobs around the neighborhood. The other boy already used to be on his own, so he learned much more quickly than the redhead had. Since Anton was nearing the age where he could own up to his intention of joining the Scouts like his older brother had, Adler had decided to join the military as well.

 _I wonder what he could be up to._ The redhead mused about Anton. He wasn't really worried about the other boy's safety, especially since he had asked a certain Garrison soldier to take care of him.

He faintly smiled as he remembered that chance encounter with Hannes. The man nearly crushed the life out of him(again), when he saw him, sobbing into his shoulder about how sorry he was for 'failing' him on _that day_ , while Adler awkwardly patted his back.

With a final look at the locket his mother had given him, gray eyes finally closed.

* * *

 **A/N: Editing this chapter was hard.  Did you enjoy it? Did you hate it? Have something to share? Please leave a review, I mean, if you feel like it. It would really be great.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Attack on Titan/ Shingeki no Kyojin belongs to _Hajime Isayama, the anime's studio, Wit, and Kodansha._**

* * *

 **Chapter Two:**

 _ **Aptitude Test**_

Ever since _that day,_ Adler had developed a knack for waking up early, about an hour or so before sunrise. It didn't matter at which time he slept, or how tired he was, he just woke up at a certain point and found himself unable to return to sleep.

The walls of the cabin just seemed too restricting, too familiar. After a few more minutes of trying to fall asleep, Adler gave up.

 _Maybe_ , _I could use some fresh air._ Was his mindset, as he snuck out of the cabin, making sure that his bunkmates were asleep.

* * *

Now that he thought about it, Adler remembered spending some nights outside, sleeping in the bushes whenever his father had decided to kick him out. Moreover, he had always been a restless sleeper. Dawn was drawing closer, allowing Adler to move through the darkness with some sureness.

He soon recognized the faint glow of an oil lamp and hid behind some trees, not wanting to be discovered. The cadets had been given clear instructions to adhere to the curfew, or else they would be met with 'severe penalties'. Adler was not keen to know what these 'penalties' were.

However, once he saw the man holding lamp, and trudging through the night, he immediately recognized the figure as Commandant Keith Shadis.

 _Shadis?_ Adler mused, somewhat hypocritically, _What could he possibly be doing at this hour?_

Ultimately, his curiosity got the better of him and he decided to follow the former Commander of the Scouting Legion.

The redhead furrowed his brow when he realized the direction in which Shadis was going.

 _What's his business in the training fields?_

The commandant had indeed, stopped in the training fields, and was regarding one of the stations used to test the aptitude of each of the cadets for the omnidirectional mobility gear. It possessed a number of leather belts, which Adler presumed, was where the gear was supposed to be attached to the uniform.

From what he had gathered, each cadet had to balance themselves on the apparatus, after being lifted several inches above the ground, for at least a few seconds, in order to pass. They were given an additional day to pull it off, and if they could not fulfill the simple requirements, they were immediately regarded as unfit to be soldiers and were sent off to work in the fields.

Adler watched as Shadis detached a belt, replacing it with a another that he pulled out of his vest, then, the commandant began to briskly walk away. Once the sound of his footsteps had faded, Adler deemed it safe to leave his hiding place. He checked the equipment that Shadis had left behind, and he frowned in confusion.

 _A broken clasp?_ The boy eyed the battered piece of metal. _Maybe, I should test it myself._

After lifting himself on the structure by using his arms, instead of the actual uniform which it was meant for, Adler promptly fell on his face.

After getting up from a compromised position, gears shifted in his head as he processed all of this information. _There's no way someone could stay like that for more than a few seconds._

Adler struggled to find a motive for one of his instructors, knowingly attempting to sabotage a cadet. It seemed very unlikely, that the man had some kind of a personnel vendetta against one of the candidates. The man was a former commander of the Survey Corps, he surely knew the importance of training every last soldier. It just didn't seem to add up.

Gray eyes widened with a realization. _Could it be some kind of test?_

The idea had not seemed too outlandish that Shadis wanted to test the mettle of one of the cadets by doing this. Each one of them were supposed to be assigned their own stations, later on in the day, so it was impossible to know who the station was really meant for.

Unsure of how to act, Adler decided to keep quiet and see where things went. Besides, if Shadis tried to unfairly fail a cadet, he could simply suggest the presence of a broken clasp, prompting an inspection and saving the person from working in the fields.

He could figure out how to deal with Shadis' rotten conduct, afterward.

* * *

Adler had managed to return before anyone could point out his absence. Not long after, the cadets were ordered to get ready and begin their morning drills, after which, they were led to the training grounds. It seemed like, breakfast had been avoided to prevent anyone from losing their lunch.

They were each assigned to a station, very quickly. Unfortunately for Adler, Shadis was _too_ quick. He soon found himself being lifted up and tasked with preventing a reunion between his face and the earth, even before he could get a good look at whoever had been assigned the faulty gear.

Adler managed to stay upright by evenly distributing his body weight, and by using his upper body to provide a force to oppose the one that was pulling him down. His cautiousness from falling flat on his face in the morning also seemed to help. In the end, Adler managed to stay upright for up to seven seconds, second only to Mikasa's eight.

 _At least, it's clear that my gear doesn't have the broken clasp._

Adler began to look around him, to gauge how well the others were handling themselves. Of course, Mikasa made it look effortless, seeming to posses the perfect grace. The well-built blonde, Reiner had also done well. The tall Bertolt also had nothing to be ashamed of. It seemed as though Armin encountered some early difficulty, but he quickly learned how to work around it.

Everyone else was doing fairly well, and Adler nearly exhaled in relief. _Maybe, Shadis was just moving the clasp to an unmanned station-_

A cry of pain broke those thoughts, followed by the instructor's bark, "What's wrong, Yeager!?"

"Damn it _."_ Adler cursed, seeing that Eren had been assigned the sabotaged gear. The brunette tried a second time, only to swiftly fall on his face.

Adler was about to speak up and point out the belt but was startled into silence, when Shadis' golden eyes unnervingly met his wide gray ones.

"Yeager, you have until tomorrow morning."

Adler was confused,

 _Why didn't he just fail him?_

Deciding on a whim, the redhead chose to keep quiet. Of course, he didn't intent to let his friend fail, but something made him feel like he should wait.

* * *

The four were soon in the mess hall. Some of the more, arrogant cadets were talking about how adamant Eren had been, about his intention to kill every last Titan. Now, he could not even pass a simple aptitude test.

The other boy was just staring into space, the bandages wrapped around his head testified that his third and fourth attempts, hadn't gone so well.

In all honesty, his friend's unblinking gaze and pure rigidness was starting to unsettle Adler.

Mikasa startled her friend, grabbing his shoulder. "Eren, there's no point worrying about it."

"You can try again, tomorrow." Armin offered encouragingly, "If I can do it, I know you can."

"How pathetic." Eren muttered in disappointment, "How am I supposed to wipe them out, like this?"

Deciding to try and change the subject, Armin turned to Adler, whom a mixture of guilt and contemplation had prevented from joining the conversation.

"Hey, Adler. If I remember correctly, you're a year younger than us. Right?"

"Just about." He nodded, not seeing where this was going.

"But, the minimum age requirement to enlist for the military is twelve." The blonde pointed out.

"Well, yes." The other boy started to respond, "But, you know that I could easily pass for someone older than myself. Besides, the Military Police weren't exactly enthusiastic to confirm the information I'd given them."

The attempt seemed pointless, as Eren cursed out again.

"Maybe it's time you gave up on this dream." Mikasa stunned the table into silence.

"What did you say!?" Eren clenched his teeth.

"I'm saying, that you should give up on trying to be a soldier." Mikasa was undeterred, "Fighting the Titans, isn't about simply throwing your life away."

"Hey, now!" The brunette hissed, barely keeping his voice down, "After I saw what happened _t_ _hat day,_ do you really think that you can just convince me to quit?!"

"Still, it doesn't matter how determined you are." Was the curt response.

"Why not?"

"Because you don't get to decide, whether you're fit to be a soldier or not."

The tense silence which followed was only broken by the sound of the bell signaling the end of dinner.

Not wanting to be a part of a bloodbath, Adler decided to leave while he could.

"I'm not saying, that you should go to the fields by yourself-" Mikasa continued, but her other two companions had already followed the third.

* * *

Upon Armin's suggestion, the three tried to look for help in the boy's dormitories. They were shot down by Jean and Connie, who just used Eren's earlier remarks about the dropouts against him.

They decided to test their luck with Bertolt and Reiner, both of whom had been excellent in passing their own tests.

"Sorry," Reiner crossed his arms over his chest, "but I don't think that there are any tricks to just 'hanging there'. I can't think of any really helpful advice, either." He gestured at Adler, "Besides, didn't he do really well? If his advice didn't work, then what good would ours do?"

Eren looked dejected, answering in a soft tone, "Oh. I guess you're right."

 _So, this is what drowning in guilt really feels like._ Thought Adler, ruefully. Although he had never intended to let Eren fail, it was still difficult to keep something like this from him while watching him fret over it.

"I guess, we'll just have to hope for the best." Armin moved to get up, but Bertolt signaled for them to stay.

"You three. You're from Shiganshina, right?".

"Yes, we are." The blonde nodded.

"Then you know the terror of the Titans, firsthand." He said with an odd demeanor, "Why do you still, want to become soldiers?"

"Well, unlike these two, I only saw the Titans from afar." Armin swallowed, "But, I needed to do something after the Royal Government forced all the adult refugees to take part in the dreadful, territory retrieval operation."

Adler could easily understand Armin's reasoning. It wasn't just his grandfather that had suffered, but also the numerous orphans that were left behind. During his stay with the Ulrichs, the other boy had seen some of the consequences of leaving so many kids by themselves. In some areas, those that worked in the fields were known to be addicted to drugs like Coderoin, using them to try and cope. Others had been abducted into the human trafficking rig, at Stohess.

"I see."

"Where are the two of you from?" Eren asked.

"Reiner and I are from a mountain village, on the southeast side of Wall Maria," Bertolt said.

"Hey, wasn't that. .?"

"Yeah, unlike the more prosperous towns along the river, we didn't receive word right away." He continued in a rushed tone,"The Titans showed up, well before the information did. It happened at dawn. The livestock was acting up, and these strange rumblings kept getting louder and louder. At some point, I realized that they were footfalls of some sort. And then, when I opened the window." He gulped.

"After that l don't really remember. Everyone was in a panic and-"

"Hey, no need to bring that up." Reiner grabbed his friend's shoulder.

 _Why do I feel like they're hiding something?_ Adler supposed that it was because Bertolt had given all of those details, without anyone asking for them. He decided to take the dark-haired boy's words with a pinch a salt.

"Sorry." Bertolt calmed down, "Basically, what I was trying to say, is that you guys aren't like them."

" 'Them' ?" Armin raised an eyebrow.

"The others here, who don't know the horror of the Titans," Bertolt clarified, not sounding any bit calmer.

* * *

By the end of the night, Bertolt and Reiner had decided to try and help Eren.

After curfew, they made their way down the mountain path, the taller boys leading the way. Unlike the previous night, when Adler had to navigate through the darkness, Bertolt was carrying an oil lamp that lighted the way.

"They're mostly here for show, to live up to society's expectations. You're seen as a coward if you choose production work when you turn twelve. Society has pushed them into becoming trainees." Bertolt continued in a matter-of-fact manner, forgoing his previous panicked tone.

The tranquility of the forest was not lost on Adler, it even distracted him from some of the guilt he had been feeling. He decided that he should escape there whenever he experienced another sleepless night.

"That said," Bertolt spoke, "I'm no different than them. I chose to be a soldier, in the hopes of joining the Military Police, so I could work in the safety of the interior."

Field workers were normally treated like second class citizens, it was hard for Adler not to remember the way he had often seen them treated. He had even tried to defend them a couple of times.

"If that doesn't work out, I might give up entirely." The dark haired boy said, " I don't have any ambition to call my own, you see."

"There's no reason to be ashamed, for valuing your life," Armin pointed out.

"As for me, I'm going to return to the hometown we've lost," Reiner spoke up. "That's all I care about now. I will do it, no matter what." Something the look in his eyes, made Adler feel weary.

"What is your reason, Eren?" The taller boy started, "Why do you want to be a soldier?"

"I decided that I have to kill them." For once, Eren's eyes did not shine with unadulterated hate. His tone was just matter-of-fact. " I have to slaughter all of the Titans, with my own two hands."

"So, your encounter with the Titans didn't break your will?" Bertolt looked genuinely surprised.

They had reached an escarpment, overlooking a lake. The spectacular view had shifted the tone of the conversation. The clouds parted, revealing a full moon staring down at the four boys.

"That's right." Eren sighed, "But now, it's a matter of whether or not I'm actually cut out to be a soldier."

* * *

As they made their way back, Adler was surprised that none of them had even thought to check the clasp. While it was true that the particular piece wasn't known for being capable of breaking, in a world in which Titans existed, would it really be that surprising?

It made Adler think, _Did Shadis have that piece broken, because of its notoriety not to break? So, no one would think to check-_

"Adler." Bertolt managed to break his train of thought.

"Yeah?" He met the taller boy's gaze.

"You never told us your reasons."

This made the other three glance at him.

 _We've never asked him_. Eren realized. He had always, just felt that it was natural for the redhead to join them.

"My reason. . ." Adler paused, trying hard to come up with a solid motivation. It wasn't really to avenge anyone. It wasn't even to fulfill Bernard's final wish and provide for Anton, the younger Ulrich would soon be old enough to fend for himself anyway. It was hard for him not to say he hadn't joined the military on a whim.

"It's complicated." He finally answered.

His hiking partners gave him curious looks. Before any of them could ask him to clarify, they were back at the dorms.

* * *

Morning had arrived, and the cadets were gathered in the training field.

"Eren Yeager." Keith Shadis towered over the recruit, "Are you ready?"

"Yes, sir!"

He was strapped onto the station and lifted up. His teal eyes showed intense concentration.

Adler's gray eyes widened as Eren managed to maintain perfect balance, shocking the crowd. Some of them let out cheers, lost in the moment. Five seconds later, he hit the dirt

 _I need to give Eren a reason to punch me, later._ Adler quietly mused, _So he can pay me back._

"N-Not yet! I can still do it!"

"Bring him down," Shadis ordered Thomas to do, and the look in Eren's eyes made Adler want to speak up.

Before he could, Shadis beat him to it, "Wagner, exchange belts with Yeager."

Thomas gave him a strange look, before doing exactly what was asked of him.

Eren easily balanced himself on the undamaged hear, making awed whispers break out amongst the crowd.

Adler just exhaled in relief, feeling the weight of the world leave his shoulders.

"Defective equipment." The commandant muttered as he revealed the broken clasp. "A broken clasp. Never heard of this part breaking before. Guess, I'll have to bust some heads in the maintenance team."

"So, I pass my aptitude evaluation?" Eren's gaze was hopeful.

Shadis nodded, "You made the cut. Now train hard, soldier!" With that, he walked away.

The boy was unable to help it and raised his hands in a silent victory, he looked straight at Mikasa. Her surprised onyx gaze turning apologetic.

"Guess, it worked out for him," Reiner remarked.

"Look, his eyes say, 'Look at me now, Mikasa!' " Armin chuckled.

"No," The girl shook her head, "He just feels relieved, that he doesn't have to leave me anymore."

The boys exchanged questioning looks behind her back, Adler shrugged in response to Reiner's stare.

As he watched the scene before him, Adler let out a deep breath, relieved to finally feel the guilt thawing away.

* * *

 **A/N: Share your opinion by leaving a review. I personally, prefer the term ODM, over 3DMG. I just think that it sounds better**


	5. Chapter 4

**_Attack on Titan, its characters and setting all belong to Isayama, Wit Studio etc._**

* * *

 **Chapter Three:**

 _ **Growth**_

When Keith Shadis had left the Survey Corps, finally passing the mantle of Commander to Erwin Smith after the Fall of Shiganshina, he had witnessed the slaughter of many of his men. Some were less noble than others, while some were outright idiotic and could have easily been avoided.

Most of them were large, in vain.

As it was during his command that the regime had faced so many setbacks, Shadis had been summarily, disgraced by the military.

Since his retirement, Smith's latest innovations had reduced the death rate, in the Expeditions Outside the Walls, to be less than forty percent. It seemed like the tarnished name of the Survey Corps, was slowly being reinvigorated.

However, no level of disgrace could quell the sense of blunder Shadis felt in his soul. The same blunder that made him lose his full head of hair, despite only being in his late forties. It did not matter, that his sizable contributions to the Legion had been forgotten in favour of his spectacular failures. Shadis was still not satisfied with himself, and the old warhorse still had something left to give.

It seemed like, leading the progress of the 104th Cadet Core would one of those gives.

There would be no more failure, he would make sure of that. Shadis was prepared to tear these novices apart and salvage what he could from the ashes. He would mold them into perfect soldiers.

The least he could do was make sure that these children knew exactly what they were up against.

The bald man was not optimistic. Far from it, he had been prepared to receive a class of talentless fools.

Oh, how wrong he had been.

* * *

 _Three years later-Age 850_

"Too slow! Pick up the pace! Run, you lead-footed laggards!" Commandant Shadis' shouts easily cut through the heavy rain, pelting the backs of the jogging recruits.

Armin Arlert lagged behind the rest of the group, his body utterly exhausted from carrying the heavy load up the mountainside.

Of course, this did not escape the watchful golden eyes that towered over him, from the back of a black stallion.

"What's wrong with you, Arlert!?" The instructor demanded, "You're trailing behind! In a hurry to become Titan food?"

Without any more words of encouragement, Shadis trotted his horse to the front.

As soon as the instructor left, Reiner slowed down to the smaller blonde's pace.

"Give it here." Without any ceremony, he snatched Armin's backpack from him.

"You'll get points marked off!" Armin hissed back.

Unbeknownst to him, the commandant was watching them both closely. After all, this was one of the last assignments that he needed to grade them on.

 _Don't be so close-minded, Arlert._ Shadis silently chastised the blonde, _It is my job to decide, whether or not you're even fit to be a soldier. To do that, I must evaluate every aspect of your character._

"Then, do me a favor and pass! Don't make me change my mind." Rener shouted at the smaller blonde, completely forgetting discretion.

 _That includes empathy and teamwork._

Shadis' eyes flashed as he begun his evaluation.

 _Reiner_ _Braun_. _Built_ _like_ _an_ _ox,_ _has_ the _extreme_ _mental_ _fortitude_ , _an_ _all around easy to trust teammate._

"I will not be a burden!"

The half-shout made golden eyes flicker back to Armin, who had found it within himself to rush forward, retrieve his load from Reiner, and he even overtook the larger blonde.

 _Armin Arlert,_ Shadis noted, _built like a daffodil, but his remarkable intelligence in the theory section remains unmatched._

The group reached the forest, where the cadets deposited their bulk and equipped themselves with ODM gear.

In the dense vegetation, lifesized Titan knockoffs had been raised in the trees. Shadis' first reaction upon seeing them, had been a scoff. In his mind, whoever believed that those flimsy things were capable of mimicking the fear induced by real Titans, had rapidly been running out of brain cells and replacing them with ethanol molecules.

A new mechanism had recently been installed, allowing some movement of the arms. It had been introduced in large part, thanks to Shadis' threat of 'd _emonstrating a Titan bite,'_ on the engineer if he had refused.

Swipes of the blade and the instructor saw three figures slice through the 'nape' of a dummy.

 _Annie_ _Leonhart_. Shadis regarded the short blonde, _Her_ _attacks_ _are_ _flawless_ , _but_ _her_ _reclusive_ _habits_ _hurt_ _her_ _teamwork_.

His gaze flickered towards the other two, and he silently noted their qualities.

 _Bertolt_ _Hoover_. _He has_ _great_ _potential_ _but_ _lacks_ _assertiveness_.

 _Jean_ _Kirstein_. _Top_ _tier_ _OD_ _M_ _skills_ , _but_ _his_ _volatile_ _personality_ _causes_ _friction_ _with_ _others_.

Jean navigated through the trees with ease, showcasing his remarkable skilfulness for the maneuvering gear.

Shadis thought it a waste if the boy was to join the Military Police like he had promised.

The former commander had never been a fan of the current military system, although he was never able to think of an alternative. Shadis could see some merit, by limiting the number of cadets eligible for the MP to ten, it meant that more soldiers could opt for the other, more needy regiments.

Despite this, it was hard to see the move as anything but the blatant empowerment of the Military Police, which already had the largest workforce. It was also the only regiment which was under direct control of the Royal Government.

Finally reaching a target, Jean prepared to strike, but a beige streak passed by him.

"Thanks for the help, Jean!" Connie beamed at his friend, getting closer to his newly acquired target, " I knew that following you was a good idea-"

Another blur of the flak jacket overtook _him_ , finally cutting down the dummy.

"Hooray!" A girl swung on her ropes, like an oversized child.

 _Sasha Braus._ Unknown to them, Shadis was still watching, _She has spot-on instincts, but rarely ever shares them with her teammates._

 _Connie Springer._ His eyes flickered to the teenager's shaved head, _He excels at making quick turns, but is also quite dimwitted._

From the corner of his eyes, Shadis noticed Mikasa deliver a heavy blow to the neck of a target. Her deep cut was soon followed by Eren, her contemporary complaining about the depth of his shallower cut.

Shadis frowned, that one-sided rivalry was becoming irritating.

 _Eren Yeager. Lackluster in the classroom, marginally better in the field, but has a determination that's almost frightening._

He regarded the stoic girl next to him, _Mikasa Ackerman. Excels in every field. She would be completely unmatched, at the top of the class . . ._

A flicker of red hair caught the instructor's gaze.

Adler neared a cluster of three 'Titans', as a mechanism was triggered and an arm tried to swat him down from the sky, he ducked underneath it and landed on a tree branch. He crouched on the trunk, unsheathing a single blade. Adler then spun around it, propelling himself forward at a speed that surpassed even Mikasa's. He systematically, cut through the necks of the dummies in a single, long winding arch.

Eren watched the other boy's movements closely, before continuing his own progress with a much greater zealous.

 _Adler Klein is a_ _n enigma. His skills in the field are remarkable, and to think I gave him a hard time when he first used that unconventional, arching technique. Capable of killing a Titan with a single blade,_ Shadis shook his head, _his solo prowess is sharply contrasted by his terrible teamwork and foolish recklessness, which may just be the only things that keep him from surpassing Ackerman._

Thinking of Adler, made Shadis remember the day he was followed to the training fields. _The boy probably thought he was undetected that day_. A smile almost broke through the man's weathered features.

Shadis had noticed the boy soon enough but was greatly impressed by his stealthy approach. It seemed almost as if the boy had done similar things in the past.

Curious as to what he'd do, and bored out of his mind, Shadis had decided to let the boy witness his tampering with the gear clasp.

Once again, he had been surprised when Adler hadn't told anyone. Though, at certain points, he could see that the boy was second-guessing himself.

It was one of the many times Adler had surprised the former commander, it was an act that required levels of cynicism that was unprecedented for his relatively young age.

Then again, he _was_ his father's son.

* * *

Adler idly regarded the wooden knife in his hand.

The cadets had occupied the training fields, in anticipation of the scheduled hand to hand combat sessions. They had been split into pairs, in which a one person was the rogue. The rogue was supposed to lunge at the other with the mock weapon, in an attempt to make them surrender, while the other had to successfully defend themselves.

The feel of the handle made Adler think back. Of course, it felt nothing like the handle of a real knife, but it had made him remember an incident that had occurred a few years ago.

 _During the time he spent recuperating with the Ulrich brothers, a burglar had broken into their house. He was nothing more than a petty criminal, but the knife that he had carried was very, very real. Adler could vouch for that._

 _He had felt the cold metal, press against his neck as the man demanded to know where the Ulrichs kept their savings._

 _Bernard wasn't home at the time, the elder Ulrich had just recently been welcomed back to active duty._

 _Adler was too injured to move quickly enough, the feeling of helplessness and disappointment which he had felt that day, had haunted him for many of the following months. He was only saved, by the quick thinking of Anton, the younger Ulric surprising them both by breaking a glass bottle against the back of the burglar's head, effectively knocking him out._

"Hey."

The teenager's gray eyes met the blue ones of the short blonde across from him.

"Are you done zoning out?" Annie remarked, rather languidly, "Though, you could take the whole day. It doesn't matter, either way."

The other paused. He knew, that he had to be careful with her. After all, it was not every day that someone could give Mikasa Ackerman a run for her money.

"No, I'm done." Annie did not look amused by the candid response.

"I'll be the rogue, first." He held the blade in a firmer grip.

"Do what you want." She got into a stance.

Without warning, Adler flipped the handle backward and charged the smaller teen. She sidestepped the boy, who noticed a twitch in her left thigh and jumped backward, barely in time to avoid a cutting kick to the shin.

By this time, some of the surrounding cadets had stopped their own 'fights' and were watching. This was the first time they had seen Annie engage in a drawn-out fight since her legendary bout with Mikasa. They were curious about how long the redhead could last.

Adler aimed some fast moving punches at the blonde, who promptly dodged each hit. She swiftly landed a kick to his side, which he managed to block with a raised elbow, its raw power making him struggle to keep the knife in his grip.

"My money's on Annie." Connie enthusiastically, remarked to no one in particular, "He's fighting back, but Annie is just something else!"

"Yeah, but he's giving her a hell of a workout." Mina chimed in.

Mikasa and Armin watched on, silently.

Annie aimed a kick for Adler's head, who ducked underneath it at the last second, eliciting some exclamations from the crowd, and stepping back to avoid a follow-up punch. The other teen was beginning to notice a trend in his opponent's attacks.

He wanted to end this quickly, so he had decided to take a risk.

When Annie prepared to launch another kick, Adler swallowed,

 _This is going to hurt._

He surprised everyone, including Annie by not dodging it. A sickening crunch was heard as the kick smashed against his right leg, stunning the crowd into silence. Suddenly, Adler's other leg kicked at his adversary, missing her by a hair. The other recruit grit his teeth as he nearly fell over, using the momentum to instead, follow the retreating Annie, managing to tackle her.

When the dust settled, it revealed Adler holding the wooden blade to a wide-eyed Annie's throat.

"I win." He breathed out, quickly returning to his feet.

For a moment, the look of intense rage on Annie's face caused Adler to tense in preparation for another hit.

"I guess, you do."

Instead, she just walked away.

Adler glanced at her as she left, noticing someone approaching him from behind.

"That was something," Armin remarked to his friend, whom he noticed was favouring his right leg.

"It hurt like a bitch, though." The redhead muttered, feeling the rapidly forming bruise on his knee.

The other boy looked concerned, "Is it bad?"

"No," Adler answered in a dismissive tone.

"Good." The blonde glanced at Annie, "It's amazing that you managed to beat her so quickly."

His friend shrugged. "She's good, but her attacks can be too predictable."

At Armin's confused look, the other teen began to explain, "If you figure out her pattern, you can come up with something. I realized that she was just using her punches to distract me, and relied more on blindsiding me with those kicks."

"I see." The blonde's eyes were quickly showing understanding, "She didn't expect you to use your speed, did she?"

Adler nodded, "No. Her style is primarily tailored against large, stronger opponents."

Armin shot him an odd look, "Wasn't this your first time sparing with her?"

"Yes, but I also saw her spar with Mikasa," Adler answered, very matter-of-factly.

Armin shook his head.

"What?"

He sighed, "Nothing, just forget it."

The two were watching Annie's path gets blocked by Reiner, the bigger blonde shoving a surprised looking Eren in the stoic girl's way.

Never one to back down, he charged at her with the wooden knife.

When Annie's kick was launched, a second crack was heard, and Eren crumbled to his knees, gasping in evident pain.

"That's gotta hurt." Armin grimaced, "What's got her so riled up?"

"I think two losses in a row are enough to wind anybody up," Adler answered briskly, unconsciously rubbing his knee.

"Can you really count that as a loss," The other boy argued, "It was a close fight, and they got interrupted before an actual winner could be decided."

"Oh, does Armin finally have a crush?"

Armin sputtered, trying to come up with a response. Pink dusted his face as he gazed at his friend, "Where did _that_ come from!?"

"My point is," Adler mercifully moved on, "that I _did_ beat her, which may have contributed to her enthusiasm in pummelling your best friend."

Seeing him gingerly shift his weight, Armin gave him a contemplative look.

"About that, you could have easily avoided Annie's kick. Your reaction time is at the top of the class." Blue eyes regarded him curiously, "Why tank the unnecessary hit? You know that she could have snapped your leg in two."

After a brief pause, Adler answered a little furtively,

"I guess. . . I must have just, wanted to end it quickly. I didn't want to fight a long, hard battle with her."

Armin didn't seem satisfied, but how could Adler answer properly when he didn't know the answer himself? Although, a part of it was just to spite Annie, after getting tired of witnessing her constant cynicism. He was reminded of this, as he saw Annie try to drive the wooden blade through Eren's chest, while simultaneously giving him one of her life lectures.

Besides, Adler had bigger problems to deal with. He still hadn't decided which regiment he was going to join.

* * *

Two nights later, the graduation ceremony was held.

The two hundred and eighteen graduates were gathered in the main training field, a group of trainers and representatives from the three regiments faced them.

"Do you have heart!?" Shadis shouted, his golden eyes flashing.

"Sir!"

"As of this moment, you have three options open to you." He told them, "Choose wisely."

"The Garrison regiment, whose sworn duty is to reinforce the walls. The Scout regiment, who venture out to retrieve our stolen land from the Titan scourge. And the Military Police, who maintain law and order from under direct orders from His Majesty, the King. Those eligible for the MP have already been named. The rest of you, take a good look. These are at the top of your class!"

The top ten cadets stood at the front of the assembly in the order of their rankings. Mikasa, Adler, Reiner, Bertolt, Eren, Annie, Jean, Marco, Sasha and Connie.

* * *

A celebratory feast was held in honor of the cadets, who were given an extra day to join a regiment.

To Armin, it had been obvious from the start that Eren was going to join the Survey Corps. He was determined to do so, even if his goal had seemed very impractical.

Armin tried not to think about it, but the Titans were not a recent threat. Mankind had been waging war with them for more than a hundred years, losing more territory than they ever regained. The outside world had become a myth, and less of a fact.

Still, he knew that Mikasa would follow the brunette to hell and back again if she had to.

So that left Adler. The other boy hadn't mentioned which regiment he was going to join, Armin wasn't even sure that he knew the answer. Ever since their 'reunion', some kind of invisible barrier had seemed to be erected between them.

The redhead had always been quiet by nature, but Shiganshina had changed him, even if he had never wanted to admit it. He was still very close with the other two, but unlike Eren and Armin, he was never able to share his inner demons with them. It had taken months of constant prodding by a persistent Eren to get him to fully tell them what exactly happened to him after his 'death'.

He was still keeping things to himself, but what he had revealed had been enough to make anyone pale. The oddest thing about it had been his calm tone as if he hadn't been taking it seriously.

The other two teens never hesitated to come to him if they needed to talk, but Adler always seemed to be too self-reliant. Armin was worried that one day, his friend wouldn't trust anyone, or even _accept_ help when he truly needed it and trusting your comrades with your life was a big part of being any soldier.

Truth be told, Armin also hadn't decided which regiment to join. He knew that he could accomplish his goal from any regiment by climbing up the ranks.

Armin mused that he was really worried about his worth. He was concerned that if he joined the Scouts, he would be detrimental to Eren and Mikasa, but if he joined the Garrison regiment, they may look down on him.

In his heart, he knew that that was not the case. Still, it was a difficult choice for him to make.

Armin had been with Eren and Mikasa as usual, but Adler was nowhere to be seen. He had pretty much disappeared after the ceremony had ended.

"You're really going to turn your back on the MP for the Scouts?" Samuel's question was directed at Eren, "You're in the top ten. Why on earth would you do that?"

"Joining the Scouts was my goal from the beginning." The brunette responded, "I don't want the easy life. Not with all the work, I put in. I trained to fight Titans."

"Are you insane!?" Thomas's overzealous shout rang across the hall, making everyone stare at him. Very self-conscious, he continued in a much softer tone,

"How many people have died? We're talking, twenty percent! If that doesn't make it clear, I don't know what will. This is who we are, now. We can't beat them."

After his speech, the slightly shorter boy's teal eyes drilled through his, "Yeah, so what?"

"We buckle, take it all lying down? Things have changed! Maybe not a lot, but enough. They aren't the mystery that they were, five years ago. There's still a long way to go, but we've made progress! All the battles we lost taught us a lesson, brought us closer to the tiniest idea of hope. Are you telling me to cut our losses, let all the death and destruction be meaningless!? Not on your life!"

By now, all noise in the mess hall had ceased, "Humanity's future lies outside the walls!" Eren balled up his fists, overwhelmed with emotion, "And I'm going to clear the way! I'll get what was ours. I'll drive all of them out! And, as long as one of us is still standing, we're not finished!"

He quickly stormed out, his two companions swiftly chasing after him.

* * *

Adler had needed some fresh air to sort out the things going through his head. He did so after the graduation ceremony had ended. Sitting on some stone steps outside the camp, the stars shining above him reminded him of the old times. The times, some of which he used to spend under the night sky after being kicked out by his father for the night.

It had been a while since Eric Klein was given any thought by his son. Still, Adler couldn't help but wonder how his father had died. Had he spent his final moments in fear, before being brutally crushed in the jaws of a Titan? Or had he slowly died of hunger and thirst, still trapped underneath the rubble of their home?

It was difficult for him to decide which version he preferred.

The sound of footsteps signaled the arrival of someone else, and Adler's eyes swiveled to meet Eren's.

"Adler?"

"Hey." He slightly raised an eyebrow, "Did something happen?"

"No." Eren took a seat next to him sounding less energetic than usual, "Just got a little wound up."

After a few moments passed, Armin and Mikasa had joined them.

"That was quite a speech you gave, Eren." The blonde finally remarked after a short moment of silence.

"Yes, but most of it was yours. The stuff you used to talk about, back in the day."

Armin adopted a contemplative look, before saying,

"Yeah, well I'm joining the Scouts too."

Eren promptly gawked at his friend, "Come on, you're just being stupid. Your life is with books!"

"I'm tired of letting other people fight for me." His friend immediately recognized that look. It was the same look that Armin wore when he had decided to join the military.

"Guess it's the Scouts for me, too," Mikasa added, leisurely.

"Come on!" The other boy cried out, "You're at the top of the class, you'd be wasting your chance!"

"Understand this," Her onyx eyes brimmed with intensity, as they met his, "Where you go, I go. I made a promise to your mom. I'm not letting you die. I've got your back, whether you like it or not."

The sudden sound of a sharp exhale cut off any arguments, that Eren may have had.

Adler's breath hitched, his head was pointed downwards and his mouth was slightly open, as blurry images rapidly bombarded his mindscape.

 _A sharp rock, a scream, blood, a briefcase, a woman crying._

The random objects kept on flashing, invoking a feeling within Adler that had hardly ever been so strong. Dread, apprehension, _fear._

He instinctively, flinched when someone gripped his shoulder.

Eren was alarmed, Adler's breathing had become uneven, and he wasn't answering them anymore. His gray eyes seemed almost frightened to an insane degree something, which they had never been, even on the day Shiganshina fell to the Titans.

In fact, Adler had been ridiculously calm that day.

 _Calm enough to get himself killed._ The very memory was almost enough to make Eren sick.

"Adler," Armin placed his hand on the other teen's rigid shoulder, "Talk to me."

The way that Adler recoiled from the touch was enough to make Eren grab his shirt and shake him,

"Hey! Cut it out!"

Fortunately, this seemed to work, as gunmetal eyes became more focused and Adler's breathing returned to normal.

"Adler?"

"What the hell was that?" Eren demanded, his teal eyes drilling holes through the other teen.

After a pause, the furtive answer came,

"Must have been a day terror or something."

"Like hell." The brunette's scoff was met with questioning gray eyes, "This isn't one of the things you just brush off. It could be something serious!"

"He's right, Adler."

Adler looked at Armin, whose eyes were regarding him carefully. Next, to him, even Mikasa seemed perturbed as she said, "Adler, this isn't normal. You have to tell us."

The redhead diverted his gaze, muttering something.

Eren frowned, "What did you say?"

"I said, I don't know." The clipped tone caught him off guard. One look at the other's face told him that he wasn't lying.

Armin exchanged significant looks with the other two, as a shooting star streaked across the night sky.

* * *

Eren and Armin had decided to try, and ask Adler about what had happened, the day before.

Of course, that could only come after cannon duty ended.

Eren was restocking the canons on the top of Wall Rose with some others when Connie shockingly revealed that he too, was joining the Scouts.

"But the MP was your thing!" The brunette exclaimed.

"It's my choice, okay?"

Mina chimed in, "Looks like, your speech yesterday lit a fire under him."

Connie quickly refuted the claim,

"His temper tantrum had nothing to do with it!"

"Hey, you're not the only one." A sheepish looking Thomas scratched his chin.

 _Did I really convince this many people?_ The very notion sounded alien to Eren, who had never considered himself to be much of a talker.

Sasha Braus suddenly ran towards them.

"Hey, guys! Guess what I found in the officer's pantry!" She looked too satisfied with herself.

The red, slab of meat which she removed from her vest, made them all gag with horror.

"Are you crazy!?"

"You could get thrown in the box for that!"

"Put it back!"

But Sasha was in culinary heaven. Her mouth was slightly ajar, and her eyes were misty as she imaged all of the different ways in which she could transform that sliver of meat into a wonderful delicacy.

"Do you have any idea, about how rare meat has become after Wall Maria was lost!?"

Sasha was completely unfazed, as she hid the commodity in a basket with a big smile on her face.

"I know, but just think about it. After we take back Wall Maria, we'll have all the land we need for raising livestock. Besides, think of the sandwiches!"

The true boldness behind the girl's words, made them all look at her in awe.

Then, Samuel took a deep breath before yelling,

"May I please have a piece!?"

"Hey! If he gets one, so do I! Just so you know. . ."

"Me too!"

Thomas gripped Eren's shoulder, "Hey, don't just stand there! They might get suspicious if we slack around. . ."

As they discreetly returned to work, Eren couldn't help but marvel at how far they had come since Shiganshina. Canons dotted the lip of the gigantic wall, while large ramps were placed near its gates to protect the inhabitants from flying debris.

It seemed as if they were finally _ready._

Then, a sonic boom was heard. The ground shook as a yellow spark struck it. And a skeletal face loomed over them

* * *

 **A/N: To HeroSeekerFrost and Lil'Manuel.G, thanks for the kind words. Reviews mean the world to me.**


	6. Chapter 5

**_Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin_ belongs to _Hajime Isayama_ , _Wit Studio,_ and _Kodansha_. **

**Season 2's Barricades OST goes well with this one.**

* * *

 **Chapter Five:**

 ** _Nightmarish Reality_**

Moments after the legendary cadet-worth-a-hundred-soldier's gas ran empty, and two of her comrades had to rush after her, the once zealous mass of former cadets had slowed to a screeching halt.

Too many Titans marred the path to HQ, and those too slow to react had been summarily devoured, while those fortunate enough to have saved themselves, were forced to witness the nightmarish extermination of their comrades.

The air was almost silent, with the relentless screams, and the sounds of bodies breaking being the only things to be heard. Adler distantly noticed Jean land in front of him, face slackened with horror.

No, the redhead felt strangely _tired_. It was as if, the entire day's fatigue had hit him all at once. His vision was becoming blurred, and his right leg was throbbing.

He couldn't understand it. He couldn't have had reached his limit, so soon.

Yet, he could barely keep himself from doubling over. He probably didn't have enough stamina for a sustained single-sword maneuver.

 _Snap out of it._

He shook his head, vigorously. Now was not the time for whining or self-pity. He was literally, surrounded by Titans. Not to mention, two of his only friends still hadn't returned, while the third was already dead. He had already failed one of them. He had to keep himself from failing the others, at any cost.

"Let's go!"

Adler straightened, startled by someone's shout.

"Make a break for HQ while they're distracted!" It was Jean. The slightly, taller teen and propelled himself towards the nearest building. When they realized that the Titan's back was turned, the others quickly did the same.

 _Why didn't I notice that earlier?_ Adler mused, incredulously. He unsheathed his blades and vaulted over the roof. He finally felt a little firmer, although it was still difficult to ignore the heavy scent of blood in the air.

Adler's eyes fell on three particular 'comrades', and he felt the same trepidation that he hated. He only got that feeling when he needed it, and it told him to keep an eye on those three, and it had never been that strong before. It was stronger still than any other instinct he'd felt all day.

 _What has it come to? Can't I even trust my comrades, anymore?_

Sometimes, Adler mused what he would have been like if Eric Klein hadn't beaten trust issues into him.

 _Another thing to thank you for, my dear old man._ The teen had to suppress a few inane chuckles from escaping, after imagining his father's sputtered response, earning strange looks from the others for all his trouble.

Adler sobered up, as he joined Jean at the front of the group. There were still, more than a dozen Titans between them and Headquarters, and they were quickly running out of gas. Despite his use of the single-sword maneuver, Adler too was running on fumes.

His gunmetal eyes focused on the obstacles that lay ahead of him.

The first one was avoided, easily enough, it's outstretched arm was swiftly ducked under, and a quick wave of metal left it flailing and useless.

Screams echoed in his wake, but Jean refused to turn back.

 _No turning back, now._

A red blur streaked past the edge of his vision, just as the second Titan tumbled to its knees.

The brunette's eyes widened.

 _Is that?_

The boy who ranked second of the 104th, turned around his gear to land on the ten meter Titan's shoulder, a gleaming arc of metal carving his movements as he carved up the Titan's neck, making it crumple to the ground.

When Jean refocused ahead, he nearly lost his balance and tumbled down below. Ducking sharply, he narrowly avoided the giant appendage that had been reaching for him.

He heard a muffled shout behind, and belatedly realized that someone else had fallen into the trap that had been meant for him. Stealing a glance, Jean felt sick at the relief he felt, that the poor bastard hadn't been anyone he knew.

"Damn it!" He cursed in frustration.

Headquarters was suddenly upon him, and Jean braced himself, crashing through the delicate glass windows.

* * *

For a terrifying moment, the brunette actually thought nobody else had made it.

Then, the windows broke, one by one, each conjuring up another survivor. Soon, the big hallway was full of them.

"Looks like we made it." Marco breathed out.

As the adrenaline rush receded, Jean, clasped his face in intense despondency.

 _How many bodies did we crawl over? How many died, on my orders?_

With these musings still going through his head, Jean's eyes met two pairs of frightened underneath a table.

"Hold on a second, you guys are from the supply team?" He finally asked.

A nod.

Jean's fist cracked against the boy's jaw, sending him toppling over the desk. Someone held him back, but he didn't care.

". . . . . the s-supply rooms were overrun-" The girl with him pitifully, protested.

"It's your job to take care of it!"

"Hit the deck!" Reiner's shout was the only warning they got before the entire building lurched.

Two pairs of inhuman eyes shone through a hole in the building, that a Titan had headbutted through the building. Panic immediately broke out.

Jean could only stare at those around him descended into madness, frantically searching for any exit they could find.

"Did anyone see Mikasa!?" Someone shouted.

"She ran out of gas!" Cane the answer.

"Forget her! She's dead!"

"Jean!" The rough grip of a hand on his shoulder, made the boy jerk in surprise.

His amber eyes met familiar, gray ones.

"Adler!? What-"

"Now's not the time to lose your backbone!" The other called out.

"They need you to-"

Adler trailed off as he stared at something behind them. He pulled them both to the ground.

"What-"

A massive fist smashed into the Titan's face, sending it careening into the one next to it, and knocking them both out of the way, and finally allowing the outside to be seen.

Another, more animalistic face replaced it. A distinct, rattling roar shook the entire building, communicating something beyond simple, instinctual hunger.

 _It_ had jet-black, shoulder-length hair, and jagged jaws jutting out from underneath very thin cheeks. Its torquise eyes shone with the comprehension, that was far, beyond that of any of its kind.

A nearby window had shattered, and Jean couldn't believe his eyes. Connie was carrying Armin bridal-style, and trailing behind them was completely _intact_ Mikasa Ackerman.

"Mikasa! You're-" Jean faltered, balking at the three.

Connie obliviously, tapped against his gear's clearly empty gas canister. "Boy, that was close! I was running on fumes!"

He thumped Armin on the back, entirely too hard. "As far as I'm concerned, from now on, your word is law!"

He faced Jean, who was still gawking at them, and pointed out the opening, "We found an abnormal, that's got a bone to pick with its own kind! And the best part? It couldn't care less about us!"

Adler stared unerringly, at the new aberrant, as it took off the head of one of its smaller brethren.

 _That Titan . . . is it the same one that burst from the bearded one before, when I fell?_

Adler had felt peculiar. He felt something else familiar about that Titan and wondered if he was going mad. Still, that roar sounded . . . almost, human. Too full of emotion.

"Besides, what choice do we have? Right now, that thing is our best chance at surviving this."

 _Mikasa must be speaking._ Adler snapped back into reality. He glanced at the blonde, and slowly, connected the dots. _Armin, you're too smart for your own good._

He also noticed, that most of the others had also calmed down, and were standing close by.

"It knows hand to hand combat," Adler remarked with some surprise when this rogue Titan flipped another one onto its back and stomped on its face. The redhead hadn't noticed that in their first encounter, he had been in too much of a hurry to.

"It won't make it easy for the Titans to corner us."

"That's all well and good, but what will keep it from turning on us?" Reiner asked.

Adler shrugged slightly. "It's just another Titan. It may have the edge against its own, but that hardly matters, when you think about it. It is not likely to cause much trouble for someone trained to use the gear. It's just as big, bulky, and easy to target as the rest."

That feeling of trepidation spiked at the look he got from the blonde, and Adler struggled not to draw his blades.

As he heard murmurs of agreement from the others, Jean ordered what was left of the 104th to find the building's construction maps, and to stock up on any workable, equipment that they could find.

As Adler moved to do just that, he felt a hand tightly grip his elbow, stopping him in his tracks.

"M-Mikasa?"

"Adler, are you alright?" The girl's onyx eyed were scrutinizing him. She had already lost Eren, and wouldn't take any chances with her remaining friends. She had to protect them, she had already failed one of them, but the rest were still there for her. And Eren would want her to be there for them. That's why, when she had spotted Adler looking much worse than the rest, she had needed to reassure herself.

Before he could manage a response, she gestured to his right leg, "You're limping." She also, noticed that part of his hand was swelling.

"I am?" He looked genuinely surprised.

She fixed him with a piercing stare.

"Sorry." He began, "I probably didn't notice, because of the adrenaline rush. Don't worry, I'll be more careful."

He gave her a look over. She didn't look hurt, apart from a few scrapes here and there. Adler glanced at Armin, asking,

"What about you, and Armin?"

"Neither of us are hurt." She responded, honestly.

Mikasa's onyx eyes unerringly met his. "We don't need another one of us dead."

"Right." He swallowed thickly.

* * *

True to the terrified supply team member's word, there were exactly eight Titans in the supply room. All, between three and five meters tall. As he had been certified by the 104th as their best strategist, Armin was tasked with a planning.

His plan consisted of using the leftover MP muskets to blind the Titans, then to have the top eight cadets finish them off, by slicing through their names from the ceiling beams of the supply depots.

It had worked.

Jean ordered the former 104th cadet core, or what was left of it, to restock and regroup over the wall, while most did as they were told.

Except for Adler. He had a job to do. He had still needed to get those supplies to the members of the Garrison intercept squad, whom he had so inadequately left behind.

 _If they're still alive._ Adler swallowed, _Of course, they_ _are._

It had only been twenty minutes since he had left them, and he'd given them thirty until he could return. Surely, four seasoned Garrison soldiers could survive that long, even with limited supplies?

Adler didn't want to wait and find out. So, he left before anyone could stop him, carrying two extra gas canisters for the very purpose. He had actually overestimated their weight, which wasn't too surprising considering that he had never actually had to carry them, without the rest of the gear. The gear was usually already assembled when they needed it, though each and every cadet was trained to assemble it if need be.

Still, carrying two extra canisters while maneuvering through the challenging architecture of Trost, was taxing, to say the least.

At least, the trip there gave Adler time to think. He had no idea why he suddenly felt so apprehensive when near Reiner, Bertolt, or even Annie, and especially when they were together. He had felt relatively safe around them before, although he had always felt a strange twinge in his chest every time they were within twenty yards of each other. It just had not ever been so strong and clear

Still, instincts like these had saved him from many beatings in the past. He still planned on abiding by them. Adler had never been one to test fate.

* * *

After ten minutes of traveling through the air, Adler finally spotted the subjects of his search.

The middle-aged Klaus was leaning heavily against Adalie, her delicate face set in a grim line. Myers was panting heavily but did not seem to be injured, beyond how Adler had left him. Alaric, however, was favoring his left arm.

More than a dozen steaming, Titan carcasses lay haphazardly on each side of the tall courthouse on which the group was situated on.

Adler frowned, _Looks like I missed a hell of a battle._

"Is that. . . ." Meyers muttered, disbelievingly.

"I swear, this generation's crazy. Or maybe, I'm just too ordinary." Klaus sighed, "I can't even say which is worse. . ."

Alaric could easily see how the kid was moving more slowly than before, Adler's right leg looked positively bludgeoned, blood speckled his uniform and his breathing wasn't as easy as before. Simply put, he looked like hell.

But he was _alive_ , which made the older man breathe out in relief. Alive was usually too good to be wishful for. Even though three minutes had been left until his deadline, they had never expected him to come back and had decided to test their luck by waiting _._

 _You're damn lucky, Adler._

After what seemed like years, he had finally reached them.

"So." Meyers shook his head. "You came."

"I said I would, didn't I?" The younger soldier easily reasserted."Besides, I'm more surprised that you managed to live this long."

Klaus grunted, "You should have more faith in us, kid. We've been fighting, since before you even learned how to fly."

Intense, blue eyes stared him down, "Why did you have to go, and disregard direct orders?"

But the man sounded more resigned, than angry.

Before he could even formulate a response, Adalie _exploded,_

"Not to mention, the recklessness of that stunt you pulled!" She got in his face, "Performing maneuvers like that when you don't _have_ to, might I add, _isn't_ smart! Hell, if you'd been any _more_ flashy, you might have just come _close_ to imitating Captain Levi!"

A silence passed, as the woman panted.

"You done?"

Adalie sighed, looking drained. "Yeah. Sorry."

Alaric cleared his throat.

"Right." Adler set down the canisters and began removing a third from his own gear.

* * *

On the way back over the wall, the boy asked Alaric something that had been puzzling him, ever since he reunited with the Garrison interception squad. He had already filled them in on his current state and the situation, so he chose that moment to ask,

"Not that I'm not glad you're alive, but how?" Adler inquired, in midswing, "The Titans seemed put off, I take it?"

Obsidian eyes shot him a sideways glance, "After your little 'stunt', it wasn't too difficult to kill those three Titans. Most of the others were loners, wandering to us one by one. Had they come in a group. . . ."

The man shook his head, suddenly looking much older than someone in their late twenties should.

"What was unbelievable, was that we didn't encounter a single aberrant. At one point, Klaus's gear seized up and he cracked his femur, while I sprained my arm. But, that is the extent of our injuries. We were lucky."

"It was as if the Titans were drawn to the city centre," Meyers remarked.

"Maybe, they were. There were too many people at Headquarters." Adler added, "Still, even that shouldn't have been enough."

* * *

The rest of the trip was blissfully uneventful. In fact, Adler and the Support squad never encountered a single Titan.

"Where is everyone?" The captain furrowed his brow. They had finally crossed back into Wall Rose, though it wasn't easy with their peculiar predicament. Adler had had to carry Adalie,(much to her chagrin and everyone else's amusement) because the lean Klaus was too heavy for him to support, (although the teen had claimed that he could).

The begrudging veteran was instead, bodily supported by Meyers. Each of the five had to get by with a single full gas canister, and all of them were exhausted.

Just as Titans were barely seen, the group hadn't been able to spot a single soldier, which _was_ uncommon.

A Garrison soldier met them when they arrived.

"What's going on?" Alaric asked once he'd gotten Klaus tended to.

Adler watched the exchange with widening eyes as the man briefed them on Commander Dot Pixis' plan to retake Trost.

Apparently, the military had been busy experimenting with Titans for quite some time, and had actually _succeeded_ in creating a human with the ability to _transform_ into one of those monsters.

 _Yes, and Titans started eating humans because they ran out of kittens to pet._

Once the sheer shock of it ran out, Adler could easily see through the ploy.

There was just no way that Pixis would let Trost be taken, and thousands of soldiers to be slain before he even _thought_ of using this new 'weapon' _._

No, Pixis had been in the dark. Just like everyone else.

The earth-shattering revelation, however, was that the weapon's name was _Eren Jaeger_.

A bright, yellow light suddenly, caught the corner of Adler's gaze.

 _A bright yellow flash made his world go white, making him plummet below._

Some dots finally connected.

 _A bearded, fifteen meters Titan writhed on the ground in pain, its bones cracking, and insides rupturing. Then, another Titan burst from within the downed one. This one had an unusually, muscular physique. It let out the_ _most animalistic screech that Adler had ever heard, even from a Titan_

* * *

With many possibilities whirring in his head, Adler had soon joined the company of nine others, hidden in an alley down the side of Wall Rose.

"You'll run along the ground, three cadets per team. When you reach the wall, you leap back up. Don't die out there. If somehow a Titan goes astray, we'll take it out." The Garrison soldier in charge of them whispered.

"Somehow? That's a pretty likely scenario, if you ask me," Jean muttered.

"Permission to act independently, in a life-threatening situation?" Annie asked.

"If it saves your life, then yes."

Adler couldn't stop glancing at the short girl. He kept her in the corner of his eye, experiencing that strong sense of trepidation that made his temples throb, so savagely.

"Now, go!"

What seemed like a millennium later, and the daunting red flare shot out above them, spearing the sky as if it was a beacon from hell. A pillar of crimson towered over them all.

Though Adler had no time to mull on that, the scream from behind him reminded him so.

"Well, looks like we're on our own," Annie stated, running beside Jean and him.

" _Fantastic._ "

"Not yet." Adler unsheathed his blades, turning on his heels and running back, despite _that feeling_ pleading with him not to turn his back to Annie Leonhart.

"Klein! Are you insane!?" Jean shouted after him, but Adler's gear hooked into the Titan's holding arm and pulled him towards it.

Several slices later, and the screaming man fell straight through the Titan's grip, severed fingers nearly landing on top of him.

Adler landed a bit roughly, on the seven-meter brute's shoulder. As he readied his blades to finish the job, Jean's shout nearly warned him too late.

He abruptly knocked himself backward, his foot merely inches away from joining the pile of mangled limbs left in its wake. An aberrant had decided to lunge at him, instead knocking its larger brethren to the road's hard surface.

Connie whirled right passed it, and speedily cut through its nape, reducing it to a steaming carcass.

The four of them ran forward, keen to lose the horde behind them.

"Are you crazy!?" Connie yelled at him, "Disregarding orders like that!"

"You could've gotten yourself killed!" Jean shouted.

"I didn't, now did I?" He shouted back.

In the ensuing chaos, the three were quickly separated, each occupied with their own personal nuisances.

Connie nimbly dodged the enormous hand grabbing for him. He tried to hook his gear into a church wall, but the weathered metal simply bounced back.

He turned around inches away from the goliath. The Titan once again had tried to reach for him, but something else sliced through its finger.

"Jean!?" Connie started,

"Get to the wall!" The other ordered, turning away, just in time to avoid a deathly grip.

 _Funny, how I slapped Adler on the wrist for disregarding orders to save a comrade. Now, I'm doing the same._ He ran for some distance before, unfortunately reaching a dead end. _But, I'm sick of watching others die because of me._

Jean triggered his gear, but the metal hooks didn't shoot out. He tried again but to no avail.

"A gear malfunction? Now!?"

Hazel eyes noticed a dark red blur flickered behind the Titan. A blade carved a gleaming arc up the giant's nape, and the Titan crumpled, with someone with single blade drawn out standing on its back.

"Adler?" Jean exclaimed.

The other jumped down from the Titan's back, "Jean, is your gear still not working?"

"Yeah." He responded promptly, his eyes wary of the shadows still looming over them.

With a strange calm about him, Adler gestured towards pile of rubble a few feet away from him, "Take it! I can buy you some time."

The redhead unsheathed his other blade and ran towards one of the several titans that were quickly surrounding them.

With costly belatedness, Jean noticed the body with ODM equipment still strapped to it, though there was no way he could be sure that it actually worked, there was no time. He quickly replaced his gear with the cadaver's, using the gas, and vaulted to the nearest building, hoping beyond hope that another person wouldn't die because of him.

Beneath him, Adler dodged a massive stomp that impacted against the road's surface, sending debris flying all around him, and nearly blinding him in the process. His gear hooked to the beast's shoulder, he jumped as he was pulled towards it, trailing his blades into its sides, he noticed its second arm tense, and his gunmetal eyes widened.

 _There's no time. A_ dler leaped, his body curling up to take up as little room as possible, and his world spun. He barely avoided the devastating arm that had swung beneath him and managed to dig his blades into the Titan's limbs, leaving the metal embedded in its flesh.

Adler took advantage of the behemoth's being momentarily distracted, launching himself to its nape, and roughly cutting it off.

"Damn it." He cursed, he knew that he was on the edge. He hastily replaced his blades with newer ones. The problem? A third of a dozen Titans were still looming over him.

His grip tightened on his swords, but a bald, _human_ head suddenly, crashed against the Titan's much larger cranium.

"Ow!" Connie yelped, slinging over to the nearest rooftop.

Adler gaped at him.

"Idiot! What are you doing!?" Connie screamed at him, "Run!"

Finally noticing the opening between the forest of limbs, Adler sheathed one of his blades and sprinted.

He narrowly, avoided another tree sized wrist, rewarding it by embedding the blade within its flesh.

He nearly, ran straight into the clutches of another appendage, before its attention was stolen by someone else. Adler exchanged a glance with Marco, the latter leading the creature away from him.

Adler skirted over the rooftop, ignoring the pain and straining his knees. At one point, a bottomless pit of a mouth had threatened to engulf him, it was summarily pushed aside, by an expressionless Annie Leonhart.

Adler used his gas canister to its utmost capacity, shooting over the remaining Titan. His knees buckled as he finally landed on the top of the wall, Connie, Marco and Annie on his tail.

"Do you have a death wish?" Jean muttered, looking genuinely unsettled.

"I didn't need your help." The other breathed, barely resisting the urge to double over for breath.

"What are you saying?" Marco stared at him.

"Yeah, man. You scared the hell out of me." Connie stared at the spectacular behind them.

The ground beneath their feet began to shake.

"No way. . ." Adler followed Annie's gaze, and trailed off,

There it was, the rogue Titan. Upon its shoulders rested the boulder that could give the enormous, Colossal Titan a run for its money. It was as if its charred, and steaming body was shouldering something beyond anything any of them could comprehend.

"Looks like we're back on!" Jean remarked loudly, leaping off the wall. "Focus on keeping Eren safe!" The others jumped out after him.

 _That's right._ The reality of the situation startled Adler. As conflictive, as the thought maybe have been,

 _Eren is alive, so are Armin and Mikasa._ A focused calm crept back into his gunmetal eyes, _I still have people counting on me._

* * *

Adler leaped after them, blades unsheathing and renewing, he easily navigated through the tall architecture of Trost. Disorder surrounded him, Titans inching closer towards their burdened kin, and soldiers scurried to stop them. His body twisted in midair, and out of reach of the maw of a leaping aberrant, his gear flung him backward and his swords guided him through its neck.

He faltered when he felt that same _feeling_ _,_ that twinge of trepidation in his chest, only this time, it was intense enough to knock him out of the air.

Adler tumbled painfully onto the side of a rooftop. Shaking his head, he hastily, retrieved his swords and struggled to his feet. He could distantly hear someone calling his name, but he couldn't think straight.

The redhead held his head, trying to blink away the pain.

This _impulse_ , whatever it was. It pushed him towards a certain direction, and the boy did not have the wherewithal, at that moment, to realize that it was not towards the epicentre of the action.

Nonetheless, he had always listened to his instincts and they hadn't failed him once.

Adler sprang in its direction, narrowly dodging another destructive forearm, but not turning back to kill its owner, even though he probably should have. His vision was getting cloudy, and his head was smarting. The din of battle had faded into the background, and Adler swore he could hear whispers.

After excruciatingly long moments of running over rooftops, the redhead couldn't believe what he was seeing. His gunmetal eyes alighted with the kind of fury he hadn't allowed himself to feel in a long time.

"Let him go!'

He shouted as he leaped forward, finally landing on that building.

Reiner was holding Marco flush against the side of the rooftop, his hand clasped around the smaller teen's mouth, with Bertolt nearby, the dark-haired boy had taken a defensive stance when he'd seen his approach.

Adler glanced at Marco, whose onyx eyes were looking at him, pleadingly.

"You better have a good explanation for this." The clipped way in which he spoke, promised threat. Ignoring the pain, Adler unsteadily unsheathed his swords, his gaze unreasonable.

"Adler! Help! Reiner's gone crazy!" The captured teen exclaimed, hysterically.

Just when Adler had begun to act,

 _Crack!_

A convulsive force collided with his right knee, with such a scathing fury, that the limb snapped in two.

Adler cried out in shock, feeling his legs give way. Marco let out a distraught cry, his eyes shining with unshed tears as all hope seemed to evaporate like a Titan carcass.

Adler clutched his right leg, clenching his teeth. The limb was positively mangled, with white edges poking through the stretched skin. He realized that he was in the centre of an expanding puddle of red, ironically stabbed by his own blades, which had escaped his grip and were lying several feet away.

Glancing weakly behind him, he saw _her._

"What the hell's going on?" Annie had the decency to sound mortified. After all, she had just crippled a comrade.

"Marco heard us talking." Reiner's voice was cold, colder than Adler had ever heard it, "And Adler found us like this."

"Annie, help!"

"We can't let them live."

Marco was stunned into shocked silence, while Adler's pain-addled mind tried to work into overdrive,

 _Why would they?. . It doesn't make sense . . ._

Annie must have looked like she didn't agree because then Reiner continued in a much firmer tone,

"Take their gear."

"W-Why can't you ask Bertolt?" Came the strangled protest, "After all, you two got us into this mess."

"No, it has to be you."

Silence, as Adler tried to get over the disbelief. He tried to think of something, some way to survive this. It wasn't just his life on the line, or even Marco's. This information could mean the difference between so much. Those three were _traitors_. He had to tell someone. He just had to-

"You still haven't given me a reason!" Annie shouted out in frustration,

"What? Have you developed compassion for this putrid race!?" Reiner had scoffed, shouting as well, "Prove to me that you're better than that! Prove to me, that you're better than these animals and deserving, like your father!"

Seeing an opening, the bloody teen tried to stand up as quietly as possible. He tried to ignore the pain, as broken bones grinded together and blood poured out of his side, trying to inch towards his swords. Unfortunately, the bloodstained blade had clinked, as the roof moved.

"Bertolt restrain him." Came the cold order, " _He's_ dangerous, no matter how you leave him."

Before Adler could even think of fighting back, strong arms slammed his broken form against the side of the building, twisting his arms behind his back, and making him taste blood as a hand clamped his mouth shut.

"Why-"

The gasped question garnered no response.

"Reiner, it's getting closer!"

"Prove it to me, now!" Reiner barked.

After another moment of hesitation, Annie moved and began to remove Marco's gear. The other struggled defiantly, but Reiner held on. The big blonde had always been unmatched when it came to physical strength.

"Why. . . . Why are you doing this!?. . Look at what you did to him! Look at what you're doing to me!. . Annie!. _Annie_!"

Adler's eyes drifted to the looming silhouette approaching them, he belatedly realized what Bertolt had been so worried about.

A fifteen meter Titan neared towards its newest target. Marco let out a helpless cry.

 _What do I do?_ Was the only broken thought that Adler could able to muster. He let out a muffled shout as he felt himself being abruptly, hauled up several meters into the air.

With a sinking heart, he noticed that Marco had been left behind. His gear was missing.

"S-Stop-"

Bertolt's hand unwaveringly covered his mouth, Adler tried to struggle with all of his might, kicking and twisting, throwing technique out the window and ignoring his body as it screamed in protest.

The Titan had grabbed Marco before he could even return to his feet. He had seemed so thoroughly, drowned in denial, that he hadn't even bothered to struggle until it was too late.

Adler watched the scene with growing disgust, the likes of which he had never had the displeasure of experiencing. His teeth sharply clamped down on Bertolt's palm. The foul, metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, as he tried to tear the flesh off of the taller teen's hand.

Bertolt stumbled, "Reiner! Help!"

Adler felt another pair of arms strangle him, his eyes widening in horror and desperation, as the Titan placed half of Marco's head in between its jaws. The boulder-sized teeth had slowly, bitten through the helpless boy's skull. Marco had died in intense agony.

Even his captors seemed shocked by their own actions.

Several long moments passed, then something within Adler _snapped_.

"Annie, remove his gear, _now_!" Reiner shouted out.

As she moved to do so, Adler broke out of Bertolt's grip with strength, they didn't know he was still capable of. Blood sprayed all over the startled pair, while their captive lunged for his blades.

Blinking the crimson out of his eyes, Reiner tackled Adler to the ground, but the boy had managed to grab the tip of a blade, he speared it through the larger teen's shoulder with all the force he could muster, slicing up his own hands in the process.

Reiner cried out and while letting out a wild cry, Adler managed to shove him off of him, and as Bertolt tried to assist his friend, the bloodied teen sliced his hand with the one blade still in his grip.

Gunmetal eyes slowly refocused with some rationale, and Adler realized that he couldn't hope to live through this fight. He had to get away. He had to escape.

 _I need to tell someone-_

Working through the agony, he hastily crawled off the roof, falling excruciatingly, on the lower one they had just left. He clenched his jaw, blinking the pain away and strapped on his gear. Struggling to his feet, he blindly shot out his gear hooks, miraculously hitting something. He pushed himself forward, with a single thought rushing through his mind,

 _I need to tell-_

He made it a dozen feet before he felt one of his ropes being giving way. Momentarily keeping his balance, he met pained sapphire eyes,

"I'm sorry, Adler, but this has to be done!"

Those few sentences from Annie Leonhart was the last he heard before the other rope was cut too, and Adler _fell_.

He let out a short cry, as broken bones broke further, the 'demonic enigma', Adler Klein felt himself crumble. Blood threatened to drown him, and as unfocused gray eyes finally closed, a resonating roar shook Trost.


	7. Chapter 6

**_Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin_ belongs to _Hajime Isayama_ , _Wit Studio,_ and _Kodansha_. **

**Season 2's Barricades OST goes well with this one.**

* * *

 **Chapter Five:**

 ** _Nightmarish Reality_**

Moments after the legendary cadet-worth-a-hundred-soldier's gas ran empty, and two of her comrades had to rush after her, the once zealous mass of former cadets had slowed to a screeching halt.

Too many Titans marred the path to HQ, and those too slow to react had been summarily devoured, while those fortunate enough to have saved themselves, were forced to witness the nightmarish extermination of their comrades.

The air was almost silent, with the relentless screams, and the sounds of bodies breaking being the only things to be heard. Adler distantly noticed Jean land in front of him, face slackened with horror.

No, the redhead felt strangely _tired_. It was as if, the entire day's fatigue had hit him all at once. His vision was becoming blurred, and his right leg was throbbing.

He couldn't understand it. He couldn't have had reached his limit, so soon.

Yet, he could barely keep himself from doubling over. He probably didn't have enough stamina for a sustained single-sword maneuver.

 _Snap out of it._

He shook his head, vigorously. Now was not the time for whining or self-pity. He was literally, surrounded by Titans. Not to mention, two of his only friends still hadn't returned, while the third was already dead. He had already failed one of them. He had to keep himself from failing the others, at any cost.

"Let's go!"

Adler straightened, startled by someone's shout.

"Make a break for HQ while they're distracted!" It was Jean. The slightly, taller teen and propelled himself towards the nearest building. When they realized that the Titan's back was turned, the others quickly did the same.

 _Why didn't I notice that earlier?_ Adler mused, incredulously. He unsheathed his blades and vaulted over the roof. He finally felt a little firmer, although it was still difficult to ignore the heavy scent of blood in the air.

Adler's eyes fell on three particular 'comrades', and he felt the same trepidation that he hated. He only got that feeling when he needed it, and it told him to keep an eye on those three, and it had never been that strong before. It was stronger still than any other instinct he'd felt all day.

 _What has it come to? Can't I even trust my comrades, anymore?_

Sometimes, Adler mused what he would have been like if Eric Klein hadn't beaten trust issues into him.

 _Another thing to thank you for, my dear old man._ The teen had to suppress a few inane chuckles from escaping, after imagining his father's sputtered response, earning strange looks from the others for all his trouble.

Adler sobered up, as he joined Jean at the front of the group. There were still, more than a dozen Titans between them and Headquarters, and they were quickly running out of gas. Despite his use of the single-sword maneuver, Adler too was running on fumes.

His gunmetal eyes focused on the obstacles that lay ahead of him.

The first one was avoided, easily enough, it's outstretched arm was swiftly ducked under, and a quick wave of metal left it flailing and useless.

Screams echoed in his wake, but Jean refused to turn back.

 _No turning back, now._

A red blur streaked past the edge of his vision, just as the second Titan tumbled to its knees.

The brunette's eyes widened.

 _Is that?_

The boy who ranked second of the 104th, turned around his gear to land on the ten meter Titan's shoulder, a gleaming arc of metal carving his movements as he carved up the Titan's neck, making it crumple to the ground.

When Jean refocused ahead, he nearly lost his balance and tumbled down below. Ducking sharply, he narrowly avoided the giant appendage that had been reaching for him.

He heard a muffled shout behind, and belatedly realized that someone else had fallen into the trap that had been meant for him. Stealing a glance, Jean felt sick at the relief he felt, that the poor bastard hadn't been anyone he knew.

"Damn it!" He cursed in frustration.

Headquarters was suddenly upon him, and Jean braced himself, crashing through the delicate glass windows.

* * *

For a terrifying moment, the brunette actually thought nobody else had made it.

Then, the windows broke, one by one, each conjuring up another survivor. Soon, the big hallway was full of them.

"Looks like we made it." Marco breathed out.

As the adrenaline rush receded, Jean, clasped his face in intense despondency.

 _How many bodies did we crawl over? How many died, on my orders?_

With these musings still going through his head, Jean's eyes met two pairs of frightened underneath a table.

"Hold on a second, you guys are from the supply team?" He finally asked.

A nod.

Jean's fist cracked against the boy's jaw, sending him toppling over the desk. Someone held him back, but he didn't care.

". . . . . the s-supply rooms were overrun-" The girl with him pitifully, protested.

"It's your job to take care of it!"

"Hit the deck!" Reiner's shout was the only warning they got before the entire building lurched.

Two pairs of inhuman eyes shone through a hole in the building, that a Titan had headbutted through the building. Panic immediately broke out.

Jean could only stare at those around him descended into madness, frantically searching for any exit they could find.

"Did anyone see Mikasa!?" Someone shouted.

"She ran out of gas!" Cane the answer.

"Forget her! She's dead!"

"Jean!" The rough grip of a hand on his shoulder, made the boy jerk in surprise.

His amber eyes met familiar, gray ones.

"Adler!? What-"

"Now's not the time to lose your backbone!" The other called out.

"They need you to-"

Adler trailed off as he stared at something behind them. He pulled them both to the ground.

"What-"

A massive fist smashed into the Titan's face, sending it careening into the one next to it, and knocking them both out of the way, and finally allowing the outside to be seen.

Another, more animalistic face replaced it. A distinct, rattling roar shook the entire building, communicating something beyond simple, instinctual hunger.

 _It_ had jet-black, shoulder-length hair, and jagged jaws jutting out from underneath very thin cheeks. Its torquise eyes shone with the comprehension, that was far, beyond that of any of its kind.

A nearby window had shattered, and Jean couldn't believe his eyes. Connie was carrying Armin bridal-style, and trailing behind them was completely _intact_ Mikasa Ackerman.

"Mikasa! You're-" Jean faltered, balking at the three.

Connie obliviously, tapped against his gear's clearly empty gas canister. "Boy, that was close! I was running on fumes!"

He thumped Armin on the back, entirely too hard. "As far as I'm concerned, from now on, your word is law!"

He faced Jean, who was still gawking at them, and pointed out the opening, "We found an abnormal that's got a bone to pick with its own kind! And the best part? It couldn't care less about us!"

Adler stared unerringly, at the new aberrant, as it took off the head of one of its smaller brethren.

 _That Titan . . . is it the same one that burst from the bearded one before, when I fell?_

Adler had felt peculiar. He felt something else familiar about that Titan and wondered if he was going mad. Still, that roar sounded . . . almost, human. Too full of emotion.

"Besides, what choice do we have? Right now, that thing is our best chance at surviving this."

 _Mikasa must be speaking._ Adler snapped back into reality. He glanced at the blonde, and slowly, connected the dots. _Armin, you're too smart for your own good._

He also noticed that most of the others had also calmed down, and were standing close by.

"It knows hand to hand combat," Adler remarked with some surprise when this rogue Titan flipped another one onto its back and stomped on its face. The redhead hadn't noticed that in their first encounter, he had been in too much of a hurry to.

"It won't make it easy for the Titans to corner us."

"That's all well and good, but what will keep it from turning on us?" Reiner asked.

Adler shrugged slightly. "It's just another Titan. It may have the edge against its own, but that hardly matters, when you think about it. It is not likely to cause much trouble for someone trained to use the gear. It's just as big, bulky, and easy to target as the rest."

That feeling of trepidation spiked at the look he got from the blonde, and Adler struggled not to draw his blades.

As he heard murmurs of agreement from the others, Jean ordered what was left of the 104th to find the building's construction maps, and to stock up on any workable, equipment that they could find.

As Adler moved to do just that, he felt a hand tightly grip his elbow, stopping him in his tracks.

"M-Mikasa?"

"Adler, are you alright?" The girl's onyx eyes were scrutinizing him. She had already lost Eren, and wouldn't take any chances with her remaining friends. She had to protect them, she had already failed one of them, but the rest were still there for her. And Eren would want her to be there for them. That's why, when she had spotted Adler looking much worse than the rest, she had needed to reassure herself.

Before he could manage a response, she gestured to his right leg, "You're limping." She also, noticed that part of his hand was swelling.

"I am?" He looked genuinely surprised.

She fixed him with a piercing stare.

"Sorry." He began, "I probably didn't notice because of the adrenaline rush. Don't worry, I'll be more careful."

He gave her a look over. She didn't look hurt, apart from a few scrapes here and there. Adler glanced at Armin, asking,

"What about you, and Armin?"

"Neither of us are hurt." She responded, honestly.

Mikasa's onyx eyes unerringly met his. "We don't need another one of us dead."

"Right." He swallowed thickly.

* * *

True to the terrified supply team member's word, there were exactly eight Titans in the supply room. All, between three and five meters tall. As he had been certified by the 104th as their best strategist, Armin was tasked with a planning.

His plan consisted of using the leftover MP muskets to blind the Titans, then to have the top eight cadets finish them off, by slicing through their names from the ceiling beams of the supply depots.

It had worked.

Jean ordered the former 104th cadet core, or what was left of it, to restock and regroup over the wall, while most did as they were told.

Except for Adler. He had a job to do. He had still needed to get those supplies to the members of the Garrison intercept squad, whom he had so inadequately left behind.

 _If they're still alive._ Adler swallowed, _Of course, they_ _are._

It had only been twenty minutes since he had left them, and he'd given them thirty until he could return. Surely, four seasoned Garrison soldiers could survive that long, even with limited supplies?

Adler didn't want to wait and find out. So, he left before anyone could stop him, carrying two extra gas canisters for the very purpose. He had actually overestimated their weight, which wasn't too surprising considering that he had never actually had to carry them without the rest of the gear. The gear was usually already assembled when they needed it, though each and every cadet was trained to assemble it if need be.

Still, carrying two extra canisters while maneuvering through the challenging architecture of Trost, was taxing, to say the least.

At least, the trip there gave Adler time to think. He had no idea why he suddenly felt so apprehensive when near Reiner, Bertolt, or even Annie, and especially when they were together. He had felt relatively safe around them before, although he had always felt a strange twinge in his chest every time they were within twenty yards of each other. It just had not ever been so strong and clear

Still, instincts like these had saved him from many beatings in the past. He still planned on abiding by them. Adler had never been one to test fate.

* * *

After ten minutes of traveling through the air, Adler finally spotted the subjects of his search.

The middle-aged Klaus was leaning heavily against Adalie, her delicate face set in a grim line. Myers was panting heavily but did not seem to be injured, beyond how Adler had left him. Alaric, however, was favoring his left arm.

More than a dozen steaming, Titan carcasses lay haphazardly on each side of the tall courthouse on which the group was situated on.

Adler frowned, _Looks like I missed a hell of a battle._

"Is that. . . ." Meyers muttered, disbelievingly.

"I swear, this generation's crazy. Or maybe, I'm just too ordinary." Klaus sighed, "I can't even say which is worse. . ."

Alaric could easily see how the kid was moving more slowly than before, Adler's right leg looked positively bludgeoned, blood speckled his uniform and his breathing wasn't as easy as before. Simply put, he looked like hell.

But he was _alive_ , which made the older man breathe out in relief. Alive was usually too good to be wishful for. Even though three minutes had been left until his deadline, they had never expected him to come back and had decided to test their luck by waiting _._

 _You're damn lucky, Adler._

After what seemed like years, he had finally reached them.

"So." Meyers shook his head. "You came."

"I said I would, didn't I?" The younger soldier easily reasserted."Besides, I'm more surprised that you managed to live this long."

Klaus grunted, "You should have more faith in us, kid. We've been fighting, since before you even learned how to fly."

Intense, blue eyes stared him down, "Why did you have to go, and disregard direct orders?"

But the man sounded more resigned, than angry.

Before he could even formulate a response, Adalie _exploded,_

"Not to mention, the recklessness of that stunt you pulled!" She got in his face, "Performing maneuvers like that when you don't _have_ to, might I add, _isn't_ smart! Hell, if you'd been any _more_ flashy, you might have just come _close_ to imitating Captain Levi!"

A silence passed, as the woman panted.

"You did?"

Adalie sighed, looking drained. "Yeah. Sorry."

Alaric cleared his throat.

"Right." Adler set down the canisters and began removing a third from his own gear.

* * *

On the way back over the wall, the boy asked Alaric something that had been puzzling him, ever since he reunited with the Garrison interception squad. He had already filled them in on his current state and the situation, so he chose that moment to ask,

"Not that I'm not glad you're alive, but how?" Adler inquired, in midswing, "The Titans seemed put off, I take it?"

Obsidian eyes shot him a sideways glance, "After your little 'stunt', it wasn't too difficult to kill those three Titans. Most of the others were loners, wandering to us one by one. Had they come in a group. . . ."

The man shook his head, suddenly looking much older than someone in their late twenties should.

"What was unbelievable, was that we didn't encounter a single aberrant. At one point, Klaus's gear seized up and he cracked his femur, while I sprained my arm. But, that is the extent of our injuries. We were lucky."

"It was as if the Titans were drawn to the city centre," Meyers remarked.

"Maybe, they were. There were too many people at Headquarters." Adler added, "Still, even that shouldn't have been enough."

* * *

The rest of the trip was blissfully uneventful. In fact, Adler and the Support squad never encountered a single Titan.

"Where is everyone?" The captain furrowed his brow. They had finally crossed back into Wall Rose, though it wasn't easy with their peculiar predicament. Adler had had to carry Adalie,(much to her chagrin and everyone else's amusement) because the lean Klaus was too heavy for him to support, (although the teen had claimed that he could).

The begrudging veteran was instead, bodily supported by Meyers. Each of the five had to get by with a single full gas canister, and all of them were exhausted.

Just as Titans were barely seen, the group hadn't been able to spot a single soldier, which _was_ uncommon.

A Garrison soldier met them when they arrived.

"What's going on?" Alaric asked once he'd gotten Klaus tended to.

Adler watched the exchange with widening eyes as the man briefed them on Commander Dot Pixis' plan to retake Trost.

Apparently, the military had been busy experimenting with Titans for quite some time, and had actually _succeeded_ in creating a human with the ability to _transform_ into one of those monsters.

 _Yes, and Titans started eating humans because they ran out of kittens to pet._

Once the sheer shock of it ran out, Adler could easily see through the ploy.

There was just no way that Pixis would let Trost be taken, and thousands of soldiers to be slain before he even _thought_ of using this new 'weapon' _._

No, Pixis had been in the dark. Just like everyone else.

The earth-shattering revelation, however, was that the weapon's name was _Eren Jaeger_.

A bright, yellow light suddenly, caught the corner of Adler's gaze.

 _A bright yellow flash made his world go white, making him plummet below._

Some dots finally connected.

 _A bearded, fifteen meters Titan writhed on the ground in pain, its bones cracking, and insides rupturing. Then, another Titan burst from within the downed one. This one had an unusually, muscular physique. It let out the_ _most animalistic screech that Adler had ever heard, even from a Titan_

* * *

With many possibilities whirring in his head, Adler had soon joined the company of nine others, hidden in an alley down the side of Wall Rose.

"You'll run along the ground, three cadets per team. When you reach the wall, you leap back up. Don't die out there. If somehow a Titan goes astray, we'll take it out." The Garrison soldier in charge of them whispered.

"Somehow? That's a pretty likely scenario, if you ask me," Jean muttered.

"Permission to act independently, in a life-threatening situation?" Annie asked.

"If it saves your life, then yes."

Adler couldn't stop glancing at the short girl. He kept her in the corner of his eye, experiencing that strong sense of trepidation that made his temples throb, so savagely.

"Now, go!"

What seemed like a millennium later, and the daunting red flare shot out above them, spearing the sky as if it was a beacon from hell. A pillar of crimson towered over them all.

Though Adler had no time to mull on that, the scream from behind him reminded him so.

"Well, looks like we're on our own," Annie stated, running beside Jean and him.

" _Fantastic._ "

"Not yet." Adler unsheathed his blades, turning on his heels and running back, despite _that feeling_ pleading with him not to turn his back to Annie Leonhart.

"Klein! Are you insane!?" Jean shouted after him, but Adler's gear hooked into the Titan's holding arm and pulled him towards it.

Several slices later, and the screaming man fell straight through the Titan's grip, severed fingers nearly landing on top of him.

Adler landed a bit roughly, on the seven-meter brute's shoulder. As he readied his blades to finish the job, Jean's shout nearly warned him too late.

He abruptly knocked himself backward, his foot merely inches away from joining the pile of mangled limbs left in its wake. An aberrant had decided to lunge at him, instead knocking its larger brethren to the road's hard surface.

Connie whirled right passed it, and speedily cut through its nape, reducing it to a steaming carcass.

The four of them ran forward, keen to lose the horde behind them.

"Are you crazy!?" Connie yelled at him, "Disregarding orders like that!"

"You could've gotten yourself killed!" Jean shouted.

"I didn't, now did I?" He shouted back.

In the ensuing chaos, the three were quickly separated, each occupied with their own personal nuisances.

Connie nimbly dodged the enormous hand grabbing for him. He tried to hook his gear into a church wall, but the weathered metal simply bounced back.

He turned around inches away from the goliath. The Titan once again had tried to reach for him, but something else sliced through its finger.

"Jean!?" Connie started,

"Get to the wall!" The other ordered, turning away, just in time to avoid a deathly grip.

 _Funny, how I slapped Adler on the wrist for disregarding orders to save a comrade. Now, I'm doing the same._ He ran for some distance before, unfortunately reaching a dead end. _But, I'm sick of watching others die because of me._

Jean triggered his gear, but the metal hooks didn't shoot out. He tried again but to no avail.

"A gear malfunction? Now!?"

Hazel eyes noticed a dark red blur flickered behind the Titan. A blade carved a gleaming arc up the giant's nape, and the Titan crumpled, with someone with single blade drawn out standing on its back.

"Adler?" Jean exclaimed.

The other jumped down from the Titan's back, "Jean, is your gear still not working?"

"Yeah." He responded promptly, his eyes wary of the shadows still looming over them.

With a strange calm about him, Adler gestured towards pile of rubble a few feet away from him, "Take it! I can buy you some time."

The redhead unsheathed his other blade and ran towards one of the several titans that were quickly surrounding them.

With costly belatedness, Jean noticed the body with ODM equipment still strapped to it, though there was no way he could be sure that it actually worked, there was no time. He quickly replaced his gear with the cadaver's, using the gas, and vaulted to the nearest building, hoping beyond hope that another person wouldn't die because of him.

Beneath him, Adler dodged a massive stomp that impacted against the road's surface, sending debris flying all around him, and nearly blinding him in the process. His gear hooked to the beast's shoulder, he jumped as he was pulled towards it, trailing his blades into its sides, he noticed its second arm tense, and his gunmetal eyes widened.

 _There's no time. A_ dler leaped, his body curling up to take up as little room as possible, and his world spun. He barely avoided the devastating arm that had swung beneath him and managed to dig his blades into the Titan's limbs, leaving the metal embedded in its flesh.

Adler took advantage of the behemoth's being momentarily distracted, launching himself to its nape, and roughly cutting it off.

"Damn it." He cursed, he knew that he was on the edge. He hastily replaced his blades with newer ones. The problem? A third of a dozen Titans were still looming over him.

His grip tightened on his swords, but a bald, _human_ head suddenly, crashed against the Titan's much larger cranium.

"Ow!" Connie yelped, slinging over to the nearest rooftop.

Adler gaped at him.

"Idiot! What are you doing!?" Connie screamed at him, "Run!"

Finally noticing the opening between the forest of limbs, Adler sheathed one of his blades and sprinted.

He narrowly, avoided another tree sized wrist, rewarding it by embedding the blade within its flesh.

He nearly, ran straight into the clutches of another appendage, before its attention was stolen by someone else. Adler exchanged a glance with Marco, the latter leading the creature away from him.

Adler skirted over the rooftop, ignoring the pain and straining his knees. At one point, a bottomless pit of a mouth had threatened to engulf him, it was summarily pushed aside, by an expressionless Annie Leonhart.

Adler used his gas canister to its utmost capacity, shooting over the remaining Titan. His knees buckled as he finally landed on the top of the wall, Connie, Marco and Annie on his tail.

"Do you have a death wish?" Jean muttered, looking genuinely unsettled.

"I didn't need your help." The other breathed, barely resisting the urge to double over for breath.

"What are you saying?" Marco stared at him.

"Yeah, man. You scared the hell out of me." Connie stared at the spectacle behind them.

The ground beneath their feet began to shake.

"No way. . ." Adler followed Annie's gaze, and trailed off,

There it was, the rogue Titan. Upon its shoulders rested the boulder that could give the enormous, Colossal Titan a run for its money. It was as if its charred, and steaming body was shouldering something beyond anything any of them could comprehend.

"Looks like we're back on!" Jean remarked loudly, leaping off the wall. "Focus on keeping Eren safe!" The others jumped out after him.

 _That's right._ The reality of the situation startled Adler. As conflictive, as the thought maybe have been,

 _Eren is alive, so are Armin and Mikasa._ A focused calm crept back into his gunmetal eyes, _I still have people counting on me._

* * *

Adler leaped after them, blades unsheathing and renewing, he easily navigated through the tall architecture of Trost. Disorder surrounded him, Titans inching closer towards their burdened kin, and soldiers scurried to stop them. His body twisted in midair, and out of reach of the maw of a leaping aberrant, his gear flung him backward and his swords guided him through its neck.

He faltered when he felt that same _feeling_ _,_ that twinge of trepidation in his chest, only this time, it was intense enough to knock him out of the air.

Adler tumbled painfully onto the side of a rooftop. Shaking his head, he hastily, retrieved his swords and struggled to his feet. He could distantly hear someone calling his name, but he couldn't think straight.

The redhead held his head, trying to blink away the pain.

This _impulse_ , whatever it was. It pushed him towards a certain direction, and the boy did not have the wherewithal, at that moment, to realize that it was not towards the epicentre of the action.

Nonetheless, he had always listened to his instincts and they hadn't failed him once.

Adler sprang in its direction, narrowly dodging another destructive forearm, but not turning back to kill its owner, even though he probably should have. His vision was getting cloudy, and his head was smarting. The din of battle had faded into the background, and Adler swore he could hear whispers.

After excruciatingly long moments of running over rooftops, the redhead couldn't believe what he was seeing. His gunmetal eyes alighted with the kind of fury he hadn't allowed himself to feel in a long time.

"Let him go!'

He shouted as he leaped forward, finally landing on that building.

Reiner was holding Marco flush against the side of the rooftop, his hand clasped around the smaller teen's mouth, with Bertolt nearby, the dark-haired boy had taken a defensive stance when he'd seen his approach.

Adler glanced at Marco, whose onyx eyes were looking at him, pleadingly.

"You better have a good explanation for this." The clipped way in which he spoke promised threat. Ignoring the pain, Adler unsteadily unsheathed his swords, his gaze unreasonable.

"Adler! Help! Reiner's gone crazy!" The captured teen exclaimed hysterically.

Just when Adler had begun to act,

 _Crack!_

A convulsive force collided with his right knee, with such a scathing fury, that the limb snapped in two.

Adler cried out in shock, feeling his legs give way. Marco let out a distraught cry, his eyes shining with unshed tears as all hope seemed to evaporate like a Titan carcass.

Adler clutched his right leg, clenching his teeth. The limb was positively mangled, with white edges poking through the stretched skin. He realized that he was in the centre of an expanding puddle of red, ironically stabbed by his own blades, which had escaped his grip and were lying several feet away.

Glancing weakly behind him, he saw _her._

"What the hell's going on?" Annie had the decency to sound mortified. After all, she had just crippled a comrade.

"Marco heard us talking." Reiner's voice was cold, colder than Adler had ever heard it, "And Adler found us like this."

"Annie, help!"

"We can't let them live."

Marco was stunned into shocked silence, while Adler's pain-addled mind tried to work into overdrive,

 _Why would they?. . It doesn't make sense . . ._

Annie must have looked like she didn't agree because then Reiner continued in a much firmer tone,

"Take their gear."

"W-Why can't you ask Bertolt?" Came the strangled protest, "After all, you two got us into this mess."

"No, it has to be you."

Silence, as Adler tried to get over the disbelief. He tried to think of something, some way to survive this. It wasn't just his life on the line, or even Marco's. This information could mean the difference between so much. Those three were _traitors_. He had to tell someone. He just had to-

"You still haven't given me a reason!" Annie shouted out in frustration,

"What? Have you developed compassion for this putrid race!?" Reiner had scoffed, shouting as well, "Prove to me that you're better than that! Prove to me, that you're better than these animals and deserving, like your father!"

Seeing an opening, the bloody teen tried to stand up as quietly as possible. He tried to ignore the pain, as broken bones ground together and blood poured out of his side, trying to inch towards his swords. Unfortunately, the bloodstained blade had clinked, as the roof moved.

"Bertolt restrain him." Came the cold order, " _He's_ dangerous, no matter how you leave him."

Before Adler could even think of fighting back, strong arms slammed his broken form against the side of the building, twisting his arms behind his back, and making him taste blood as a hand clamped his mouth shut.

"Why-"

The gasped question garnered no response.

"Reiner, it's getting closer!"

"Prove it to me, now!" Reiner barked.

After another moment of hesitation, Annie moved and began to remove Marco's gear. The other struggled defiantly, but Reiner held on. The big blonde had always been unmatched when it came to physical strength.

"Why. . . . Why are you doing this!?. . Look at what you did to him! Look at what you're doing to me!. . Annie!. _Annie_!"

Adler's eyes drifted to the looming silhouette approaching them, he belatedly realized what Bertolt had been so worried about.

A fifteen meter Titan neared towards its newest target. Marco let out a helpless cry.

 _What do I do?_ Was the only broken thought that Adler could able to muster. He let out a muffled shout as he felt himself being hauled up several meters into the air.

With a sinking heart, he noticed that Marco had been left behind. His gear was missing.

"S-Stop-"

Bertolt's hand unwaveringly covered his mouth, Adler tried to struggle with all of his might, kicking and twisting, throwing technique out the window and ignoring his body as it screamed in protest.

The Titan had grabbed Marco before he could even return to his feet. He had seemed so thoroughly, drowned in denial, that he hadn't even bothered to struggle until it was too late.

Adler watched the scene with growing disgust, the likes of which he had never had the displeasure of experiencing. His teeth sharply clamped down on Bertolt's palm. The foul, metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, as he tried to tear the flesh off of the taller teen's hand.

Bertolt stumbled, "Reiner! Help!"

Adler felt another pair of arms strangle him, his eyes widening in horror and desperation, as the Titan placed half of Marco's head in between its jaws. The boulder-sized teeth had slowly, bitten through the helpless boy's skull. Marco had died in intense agony.

Even his captors seemed shocked by their own actions.

Several long moments passed, then something within Adler _snapped_.

"Annie, remove his gear, _now_!" Reiner shouted out.

As she moved to do so, Adler broke out of Bertolt's grip with strength, they didn't know he was still capable of. Blood sprayed all over the startled pair, while their captive lunged for his blades.

Blinking the crimson out of his eyes, Reiner tackled Adler to the ground, but the boy had managed to grab the tip of a blade, he speared it through the larger teen's shoulder with all the force he could muster, slicing up his own hands in the process.

Reiner cried out and while letting out a wild cry, Adler managed to shove him off of him, and as Bertolt tried to assist his friend, the bloodied teen sliced his hand with the one blade still in his grip.

Gunmetal eyes slowly refocused with some rationale, and Adler realized that he couldn't hope to live through this fight. He had to get away. He had to escape.

 _I need to tell someone-_

Working through the agony, he hastily crawled off the roof, falling excruciatingly, on the lower one they had just left. He clenched his jaw, blinking the pain away and strapped on his gear. Struggling to his feet, he blindly shot out his gear hooks, miraculously hitting something. He pushed himself forward, with a single thought rushing through his mind,

 _I need to tell-_

He made it a dozen feet before he felt one of his ropes is giving way. Momentarily keeping his balance, he met pained sapphire eyes,

"I'm sorry, Adler, but this has to be done!"

Those few sentences from Annie Leonhart was the last he heard before the other rope was cut too, and Adler _fell_.

He let out a short cry, as broken bones broke further, the 'demonic enigma', Adler Klein felt himself crumble. Blood threatened to drown him, and as unfocused gray eyes finally closed, a resonating roar shook Trost.


	8. Chapter 7

_**Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin**_ **belong to** _ **Hajime Isayama, Wit Studio,**_ **and** _ **Kodansha.**_ **This is just a fanfiction, centered around my own original character. This chapter contains heavy spoilers for season 2 of the anime and beyond.**

 **In case you still haven't figured it out:**

"Titan." — Dialogue.

 _Titan._ — Character thought/ Emphasis/ Flashback/ dream.

(Line break) — Scene change/ time skip.

* * *

 **Chapter Six:**

 _ **The Awakening**_

Smoke covered the once, busy district of Trost, acting like a shroud to the many corpses that were unceremoniously, deposited on its streets.

Two, long days had passed since Eren Yeager had sealed up the hole in Wall Rose. A cleanup operation, coordinated by the Scouting Legion and the Garrison regiment, had commenced to clear the broken city of the remaining Titans.

Canon fire was effective in clearing the leviathans nearest to the walls, while the Scouts were successful in cutting down the few stragglers, that remained. Although most were killed, two Titans were successfully captured by the Survey Corps, for its researching purposes.

Unfortunately, this meant that a arguably, harder task could be taken care of.

And, that was to remove the empty shells of the two hundred and seven soldiers who had perished. An ample price paid to garner Mankind's first, true victory against the Titan scourge.

* * *

Jean was stunned. There had been too much to take in, all at the same time. One moment, he had been prepared to be swallowed by a gaping mouth, the next, he was helping the others protect Eren Yeager, as he tried to plug the hole in Rose.

 _Eren._ The same Eren who had died, earlier that same day. The same Eren who had _hated_ Titans hated them enough to staunchly join the Survey Corps.

It seemed as if the world had turned upside down because that _same Eren_ had been able to turn into a Titan, himself.

A _Titan,_ that had fought on _their_ side.

Now, Jean was all kitted up in mortician gear, having been among the able recruits made to help the Secondary Calamity wing with clearing his hometown of the cadavers.

The brunette tried not to look at the corpses, lined up along the streets. He tried not to wonder if one of them bore a familiar face.

He continued to stagger up the street. He didn't even know where half of his former classmates were. He didn't even know whether half of them were dead or alive. The fact that Trost was his hometown wasn't even in the forefront of his mind.

Further up the walkway, he looked to the right, and Jean's hazel irises widened with shock.

"Is that . . . ?"

". . . Marco?" He swallowed, trying to get rid of his dry mouth.

The boy lay against a wall, his skin was ashen and chest motionless.

Half of his face was missing.

 _No,_ Jean's hands trembled. _Marco_ was dead, his best friend was dead.

He barely heard someone walk up to him.

"Do you know him?" A woman holding a clipboard asked him.

"I wondered, where he went," The teen thought out loud. "But, he's not the sort of guy who'd ever. . . you know."

That single dead, onyx eye lifelessly stared back at him.

"Marco . . . What happened?"

He started towards another group of survivors, "No, someone must have seen it. . . . they'd have had to. . ."

"I need his name, son. Please, we don't have time for this." He finally, turned the woman behind him.

"Please recruit, do you understand?" She reiterated. Once he hadn't replied, giving her a blank stare instead.

She continued in a much firmer tone,

"It's been two days since we sealed up the hole in Wall Rose. We still haven't accounted for all the dead. Unless they are dealt with, an epidemic is likely to break out."

Throughout her unenlightening explanation, Jean could only notice his own devastated expression was reflected by her crystal blue eyes.

"We're the first line of defense, against secondary calamities." She had continued, "We will mourn the fallen after we've done our job."

Trying to compose himself, Jean looked back at his friend.

"He was a member of the 104th Cadet Core, Captain of Squad 19, Marco Bo-"

"Recruit?"

Something had made him look the other way,

"What's that?" Jean began to stumble away, following the faint trail of, unmistakably, human blood.

The woman followed his gaze. Her eyes widening, and she quickly followed after him.

When Jean had finally rounded the corner, he froze in utter horror and disbelief.

He tried to make his mouth work, "No . . . _you_?"

The dumpster on which he lay dripped black blood, the boy's broken form was unmoving, his skin was ashen, his battered face was slackened.

Jean stepped towards him, "Seriously . . . Adler? . . . How could he . . . ."

Once the woman had also rounded the corner, she gasped at the sight.

Jean kept staring at the blood-covered body. Adler had been with him, hadn't he? He noticed the bloodstained metal locket, lying just a few feet away from them.

It looked like, he had a gaping wound near his sternum. Jean held his head in his hands. _He was in my squad. It was my responsibil-_

"He's breathing!"

Breathing sharply, he snapped his head to look at Adler's chest. It was very faint, but it had _risen_.

The woman dropped her clipboard, rushing forward. She grabbed the bloody teen's cold wrist, and her breath hitched as she felt the pathetic pulse.

"What are you doing, recruit!?" She snapped at Jean, who had been rooted to the spot. "Get the paramedics, now!"

Jean finally composed himself and sprinted towards the medical camps. The woman had knelt down and began inspecting the boy's wounds.

Her crystal eyes widened, with her fateful deduction,

 _Are those stab wounds?_

* * *

Teal eyes flickered open. Eren realized that he was propped up on a cot, against a brick wall. Wherever he was, was very badly lit, with only a single torch providing a eerie glow.

"Any questions?" The deep voice made the brunette blink. As his vision became clear, so did the metal bars, separating him from the two men in front of him.

A well-built man was seated on a wooden chair. His blonde was parted neatly to the side, and his striking blue eyes were staring straight at the teen.

 _Commander Erwin Smith?_ Eren had recognized him as the leader of the Scouts, _What's he doing here?_

His eyes flitted to the man next to him. A shorter man, with ash-gray eyes, and black hair styled in a low undercut, was nonchalantly leaning against the wall.

 _Captain Levi?_ Eren recognized the man as 'Humanity's Strongest Soldier'. He took a moment to get over the sheer, surrealism of the entire situation. What business could the two, most important individuals in the Scouting Legion possibly have with him?

"I-," He faltered, when he noticed the features of the dreary room, "Where am I?"

"I think it's obvious." Erwin responded, candidly, "Let's just call it a dungeon. You're currently in the custody of the Military Police. We were just given the permission to see you."

As his arm moved, he heard metal clink. With a sinking heart, he noticed that his arms were chained.

He also noticed that his neck chain was missing, and he saw Erwin holding a piece of metal.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Off of you." Came the curt reply, "Don't worry, you'll get it back."

Erwin's eyes were unfeeling as he held up the key, "Let's talk about your father's cellar, in Shiganshina. Pretty big secret there, right? About the Titans?"

"Yes." Eren managed a response, "At least, that's what dad said."

"Must suck to have your dad and your memory, MIA at the same time." The other man drawled, "Unless, of course, that's just a cover story."

Erwin shot his subordinate a significant look,

"Levi, that's enough. We've already been over this, he has no reason to lie." He met Eren's eyes, "But that's all we know. Shed a little light for us, why don't you tell us your intentions."

At the boy's confused glance, he continued, "Here's the lay of the land, my friend. We plan to pay the cellar in Shiganshina a visit, to do that, we'll have to seal the breach like we did in Trost. Naturally, we'll need your powers to do it. Like it or not, it all depends on that Titan."

His expression didn't change as he continued, but the tone of the conversation had definitely shifted, "It has been conjectured that the Colossal and Armoured Titans are likely, to be the same as you. Which is why I ask your intentions." Cold blue eyes pierced through him, "They are very important. You could save us."

The question had taken Eren by surprise. Wasn't it obvious? He was going to kill them all. Images of his mother's death, his friend's 'death', and so much more flashed through his very .

"It's an easy question." Levi reiterated, "What the hell do you want to do?"

Glowing, teal eyes met the captain's ash ones as Eren spoke with a feral grin, "I'm going to join the Survey Corps, and I'm going kill all of the Titans."

"Well played."

Eyes showing recognition, Levi walked towards the metal bars, his gaze piercing, "I'll take responsibility for him."

He shot Erwin a sidelong glance, "Let the higher ups know. Of course, I don't trust him. I just trust myself to deal with him. Kill him, if I have to. My record should speak for itself."

Eren's teal eyes had augmented, as the reality of the situation set in.

"Good news, Yeager, you're officially a member of the Survey Corps."

"You have nothing to fear, Eren." Erwin had said, "Put your faith on us, to guarantee your freedom."

As they began to leave, Eren thought back to when he had been surrounded by soldiers, and afterwards. He'd seen Armin and Mikasa, and they were fine, but a person had been missing. In fact, Eren hadn't seen or heard a trace of him.

"Wait!"

They stopped, the taller one shooting him curious glances.

"It's just," He faltered at the expectant looks he was given, "Could you please ask where a friend of mine is?"

"Listen," Levi drawled, subtly gauging his reaction, "If no one has heard from him, then he's probably dead."

Flashes of _that day_ passed through Eren's mind, and the boy unknowingly recoiled. _Could he have-_

"What is his name?" Erwin had broken his train of thoughts, the teen had to take a moment to answer.

"Adler Klein."

"Adler Klein? What kind of a name is that?"

Ignoring his friend's abrasive remark, Erwin spoke, "We'll be sure to tell you if we receive word.".

* * *

" _You have to!"_

" _A-Are you sure?"_

" _Yes!"_

" _But, if I do this-"_

" _I don't care! He's my son, Gri-"_

His gunmetal eyes snapped open, and it was a moment before Adler took in his surroundings.

With a start, he faced the bright amber orbs unerringly staring down at him,

"Oh, look who's finally awa-"

He instinctively threw a punch at the offender, only to feel his fist being shortly grabbed and stopped.

"Watch yourself, kid." A man with ash-gray eyes grunted.

Without warning, the redhead felt seething pain flare through his torso, removing all of the strength from his arms, making him become rigid. The man let go of the boy's fist, flexing his own hand,

 _In his condition, how was he able to manage such a strong hit?_ He wondered.

"Woohoo!" A woman ecstatically squealed, "What a specimen! He could've taken my head off!"

"Shut up, four-eyes." A baritone drawled back, "You've already scared him half to death. He could go without your freakish tendencies."

 _What the hell is going on?_

Adler closed his eyes in agony. He felt positively _wretched_. He felt as though his entire body had been mangled by a seven-meter Titan, all over again.

Tentatively opening his eyes, he realized that he was in a small, white-walled room. He glanced down at himself, noticing that he was no longer wearing his uniform, and was covered by a single white sheet. Instead, he was clad only in black shorts

He also noticed that his entire upper body was heavily wrapped in bandages, with the exception of his arms, which had several scrapes and bruises. His right leg was propped up, lightly casted and probably, healing from a break.

"Enough, you two." A deeper voice sounded, "It seems, that our host is awake."

This made him actually look at the three people who were currently staring at him. One of them was much shorter than the others, he was the one with ash gray eyes, decorated by dark circles underneath.

 _Captain Levi_? He glanced at the blonde man closer to him, _So, is that . . ._ _Erwin Smith?_

Adler could recognise the men from when Eren had pointed them out when the Scouting Legion were leaving, the day after their graduation. He wasn't able to recognize the woman, though, with her brown hair in a ponytail, and that manic glint in her eyes.

"Erwin Smith," The commander had begun, " and that is Ca-"

"I know who you are." The redhead realized that his voice sounded very hoarse.

"Here, drink this."

Someone pressed a water container against his lips, but Adler wrenched himself back up, grabbing the glass with his own trembling hands.

"I see," Erwin remarked, looking at the teen in mild curiosity.

After a moment of gulping down the water, the redhead handed the glass back to the nurse who had been standing by, murmuring a thank you.

"I don't know her." He breathed out, glancing at the woman he'd previously attempted to punch.

"I'm Squad Leader Hange Zoe!" Came the overly cheerful response.

The boy just blankly, stared back at her.

"Forgive me, but why are there three Scouts playing nursemaid to me?"

"Good question." Erwin acknowledged, offhandedly. "Do you remember how you ended up this way?"

"I-"

 _Everything_ came crashing down on him. He forcefully grasped his sheets, ignoring the seething pain in his bandaged hands.

 _Marco._ Memories of the boy's death triggered a writhing fury in the boy's gunmetal eyes. A fury, made more potent by the memory of Annie's betrayal, and his own uselessness that had resulted from it. But the feeling of sadness and the shock of treachery, far eclipsed that of anger.

"I take it, he does." Remarked Levi, noticing that look. Similar to the one which he himself had worn several times in the past, beginning with when he'd lost Isabel and Farlan. But this was different. It was little more than just a look of loss.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Erwin took the initiative to speak, "We're here because of the nature of your injuries. You bore stab wounds, meaning, they were not inflicted by a Titan, but by a fellow soldier."

"Usually, the Military Police would handle cases like this." He continued, in that same businesslike tone, "But, due to recent . . . revelations, that information has become inexplicably valuable for the Scouting Legion to have."

Another moment of silence passed, and the teen still hadn't moved.

"Come on, kid." Levi said, candidly, "We don't have all day-"

"T-Them." His voice was completely flat.

The commander arched an eyebrow. "You'll have to be more specific, son."

"Reiner Braun, . . . Beltolt Hoover, and . . . Annie Leonhart. " Adler's fists trembled, but the rest of his body remained stiff, as he told them what had happened. He told them, that he had witnessed Reiner attacking Marco, that Annie had blind sighted him, that they took away their gear, and had intended to feed them to the Titans.

He was unable to describe Marco's death vividly, feeling that sense of worthlessness flaring within him whenever he tried.

"Now, here I am."

By the end of his tale, the three Scouts looked very unnerved. Levi quietly suppressed the baleful feeling rising within him, and gave his brunette colleague a pointed look.

With her clipboard, Hange walked closer to the boy.

"Adler?" The squad leader asked, with a much more focussed demeanor than before, "Do you remember if they said anything? Anything, specific?"

He stared at her in silence. Then, his eyes flashed with recognition.

"Yes." He finally managed in an uncertain tone, "When Annie looked like she disagreed with killing us, Reiner asked her if she'd 'developed compassion for this putrid race', . . . he told her, to prove that she was better than that."

Hange nearly dropped her pen, quickly exchanging meaningful glances with her equally shocked subordinates.

 _Well, that cinches it._ The scientist retrieved it, putting pen to paper.

"Is that all?" Erwin finally asked.

After briefly thinking it over, the redhead gave a slight nod.

"Is it possible, that they still think that you're dead?"

"I don't know." Adler uttered back, observing his injuries again.

"I think that's obvious." He noticed ash coloured eyes contemplating him, "Anyone with a fractured leg, four broken ribs, a sword to the gut, and a ten-meter drop to boot would be dead. Don't you think?" Levi drawled.

"Why didn't they just finish me off?" Adler stared at his bandaged hands, not immediately understanding the implications of the captain's words.

"Hmm." Hange looked thoughtful, "They were probably in a hurry, and couldn't afford to check."

"Either way, apt action will have to be taken." Commander Erwin's blue eyes showed complete conviction as he said so, "Due to the circumstances, your survival will have to remain a secret from the general public. You don't have any immediate family, correct?"

"Yes." He backtracked, remembering a certain promise he had made, "Well, there's-"

"Don't worry." Erwin cut him off, "It will only be very brief. Although, that won't be too difficult. Seeing, as it's been a couple of weeks since you were found."

"It's been two weeks?" _Looks like I've broken one of my promises,_ Adler ruefully mused, thinking of four particular people. _They're actually going to kill me._

The blonde man nodded, he said, "We would like you to keep your survival a secret from everyone, at least until Braus, Hoover, and Leonhart can be apprehended. Or one of them."

Adler started, "Everyone?"

Erwin nodded, shooting Levi a pointed look.

"Interested in joining the Scouts, kid?" The captain asked, brusquely.

"Well, I-" He faltered, knowing that he hadn't given it much thought. Trost had been breached before he could enlist for any regiment.

"Tough luck," Levi succinctly cut him off, "but due to the current _circumstances_ , you'll be accompanying my Special Operations Squad until further notice."

Adler was lost for words, for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

The three important Scouts began to leave, Erwin waving as he left.

"Thank you for cooperating, Adler. We'll see you, soon."

Hange stayed a moment longer than the rest, that manic glint behind her glasses beginning to unsettle the recruit.

"It really is amazing, Adler." She said, giving him a peculiar look, "That you managed to recover in two weeks, from what should have been a four month long compound fracture on your leg. They say, that when you fell, the bones fit back in place. Could you describe to me how that felt?"

* * *

As Erwin closed the doors behind him, he walked behind and glanced at his friend, "Are you sure about this? We don't know anything for certain."

"Yes." Levi answered bluntly, "It's the best way to keep his survival a secret from the double-crossers. That's assuming, they haven't tried to run yet."

The commander nodded, "Yes, it's imperative that we deal with them, first. And it's true that they will be more slippery if they knew."

Hange caught up with them, a subdued grin on her face.

"Erwin, did you know that he was briefly chosen to be in Alaric Garren's intercept squad when Trost was breached? "

"Garren?" Erwin looked thoughtful. Alaric Garren had recently been rising up the Garrison's ranks in record time, his Interception Squad had gained enough infamy to be compared with Squad Levi, and there were rampant rumors that the captain would soon be replacing Pixis as the commander of his regiment. By doing so, he would only be the second man to have taken such a post below the age of forty, Erwin being the first. He'd only met the man on a few occasions, back when he was keen to have as many allies as possible.

"Yes, Alaric reported him missing after the battle." The squad leader nodded back, "But get this, he gained _eighteen_ Titan kills."

Erwin's eyes widened, _In his first battle?_

"I see." He glanced again at Levi. He could now see the man's interest in having this recruit in his squad. With someone like that in the Survey Corps, combined with someone like Levi, the possibilities were endless. He had also heard about the 'cadet worth a hundred soldiers'.

 _But first, I have to deal with the traitors._

* * *

"Reiner, are you sure about this?"

Three figures with ODM gear were crouched down on top of Wall Rose, mostly covered by the blanket of darkness that the night had provided them with, and their stolen Scouting Legion cloaks.

Bertolt glanced at the other teen, waiting for an answer.

"Things haven't exactly, gone well," Annie answered, instead. "We've been missing for days, because of the paranoid one, over here." She directed the slightly scathing tone at Reiner. "We can't just show up, unannounced and without a believable explanation. With our luck, it wouldn't surprise me if they've already called a manhunt for us. Even if Adler survived, it makes no difference now. They would suspect us, either way."

She gazed over the wall, at the land that had once been a part of Humanity's stronghold, enclosed within Wall Maria.

"I still think that we should've called this off when we had the chance."

"Annie, we've been over this." The other blonde finally spoke in a heavy voice, "Can you imagine the consequences, if we returned to our hometown without completing our mission?"

"I know that you're still a coward, Reiner." The girl replied dispassionately, "It's too late to withdraw, now. And unlike you, I can't bear to let Marcel's death be in vain anymore."

The three became silent, as they contemplated their fallen friend.

"We'll set up camp at the Titan Forest." Reiner finally ordered, gaining a much more focused disposition, "We'll go about our new plan, afterward."

With that, the three leaped off of Wall Rose, heading towards Titan infested land.

* * *

A mere, three days after he had woken up, Adler was finally allowed to leave the medical wing, much to the utter incredulity of the nurse. He couldn't have been gladder. Now, he was still mostly covered in bandages underneath the dark button-up shirt he wore, and still had to walk with a slight limp (he had insisted that he did not need a crutch), but at least he could escape the sense of uselessness that had been engulfing him for the last few days.

To be honest, the speed of his recovery had surprised him as well. The last time he had been this injured, it had taken him months to heal. Then again, he had also been nine, at the time.

"Let's go."

The teen glanced at the man who had spoken and was now leading him to the carriages. Adler still remembered how highly the Intercept Squad had spoken of Captain Levi. He briefly wondered where his former teammates were.

Once inside the carriage, Levi motioned for the rider to leave. Erwin had insisted they use a carriage, because of the privacy and security that it provided.

"Let's cut to the chase." The captain said, "You're well acquainted with Eren Yeager, right?"

"Yes."

"You see, due to his particular powers,"

 _That's right, he can turn into a Titan._ Adler just barely remembered how he had been in the process of accepting his friend's death, only to nearly die himself afterwards. _Irony must love us._

"Eren has become my responsibility." Levi continued, his ash-gray eyes drilling holes right through him, "You know what that means, right?"

"Yes." He agreed, although his own words made his throat become dry, "It means, you'll kill him if he goes out of control."

"Good." The captain leaned back slightly in approval, "But don't worry too much about it. I found out a way to cut him down, without actually killing him."

Adler made a mental note to ask about this method, later.

"The reason I brought him up is because I don't want you to immediately tell him the identities of the three bastards."

"Why?" He quickly realized his mistake, "I mean, captain."

"Eren's a blockhead, Adler." Levi responded bluntly, "You should know that better than anyone else. It won't be easy for him to accept, so hold off on telling him until tonight, OK?"

The teen nodded, somewhat seeing the captain's reasoning.

"Also, I think that you should know, those three are missing."

"W-What?" Adler faltered.

"Yes." The man repeated, a sudden certainty creeping into his eyes, "We'll catch them, soon enough. I don't want you leaving headquarters. We'll try to take them by surprise."

The younger Scout nodded. Suddenly, a part of him was _elated_ at the prospect getting the chance to face them again. Only this time, he wouldn't let personal sentiment get in the way, he vowed to make them _loathe_ the very day he was born.

"Klein." The teen glanced up at him, traces of that look still present, Levi was acquainted enough with it. He pinned him down with a knowing look, "Don't let your personal ambitions get in the way, understand? Otherwise, I won't include you in the capture."

"Yes, captain."

* * *

The sun was setting, by the time they reached their destination. The carriage stopped in front of an old, castle-like building. It was surrounded by trees on three sides and was massive. Adler wondered if it had been used by members of the Royal Family at some point in the past.

He walked a step behind Levi, who began to lead them towards the Scout's headquarters. Near the dirt track, it had a large horse pen, with a man wearing a bandana struggling to fend off one of the horses eager to eat his hair.

Farther ahead, he noticed a group of younger soldiers talking. None of them were wearing the Wings of Freedom insignia, except for one. With a start, Adler realized that it was Eren. He soon recognized some of the people around him as his former classmates.

"Go on." He realized that he had stopped following the captain, who was now passively staring at him, "Besides, you're a Scout now. Just be ready for the debriefing tonight."

The redhead nodded, inclining his head and walking towards the group.

"So, Reiner, Bertolt, Annie, Marco and Adler all joined the Military Police?" Eren was asking, skeptically. He had been sure that Reiner would join the Scouts, to regain his hometown like he said. The possibility of the redhead joining the MP had never even been taken seriously by him. He reckoned that the jerk would have at least told them.

But at the mention of those names, the atmosphere had become dismal.

"He's missing, Eren." Armin finally said, barely believing his own words. He was still trying to wrap his head around why they hadn't just announced his friend's death already, Adler had been missing for over two weeks, now. "They all are."

The other's teal eyes widened, a sick feeling drilling holes in his gut. _But, the captain told me-_

"Not exactly." The voice made them glance to the side, the sight shocking them into silence.

"Adler?" Armin finally broke the silence.

"Man, where have you been?" Connie asked, his voice subtly shaking.

"We all thought you were dead." Krista had tears in her eyes, just as any of her teammates would suspect. Next, to her, Ymir had a much more calculated expression on her face.

Mikasa quickly rushed to him, immediately noticing his peculiar posture and bandaged hands.

"Adler, what happened to you?" She demanded, her onyx eyes threatening to set him on fire.

"Long story." Adler diverted his eyes, remembering Levi's previous orders.

"I might have an idea." A familiar brunette joined them, looking completely different from the chauvinistic Jean, whom they all remembered from boot camp.

"Jean?"

"Marco's dead."

Eren gaped at him in shock. After a moment, he began smiling nervously, "Come one, Jean. Marco's not dead-"

"I wish I could tell you that he died nobly." The other boy was completely unmoved, "But I really don't know."

His hazel eyes stared unflinchingly into Adler's gunmetal ones, "But, I get the feeling that _he_ knows."

The other teen's expression had become slightly troubled at the mention of their dead friend's name.

"I'm the one who found him." Jean revealed, "He wasn't too far from where Marco was, and he looked like he was going to die any minute."

"B-But, Jean!" Sasha started, stepping towards him, "You told us that you hadn't seen him. Why would you lie to us like that?"

Ignoring the way Mikasa was looking at him, he continued, "How could I, when they placed a gag order on me?"

"Why?" Connie faltered, "Why would they-"

"Oh, I don't know, Connie!" Jean's tone had become scathing, "Why don't you do the math, who else is-"

"Jean, shut up." The look he got from the redhead made him stop.

"Would someone already tell me what the hell is going on?" Eren looked between them, starting to feel frustrated.

"Don't worry," Adler muttered, "You'll find out, soon enough."

* * *

In the dead of night, Annie moved swiftly. She had one task, she needed to kill the Titans which the Scouts had captured. They could not afford the people of the Walls learning too much about the Titans. Whatever they had already learned, had been costly enough.

Of the three, Annie was chosen for a number of reasons. She was small, agile and efficient. She wouldn't be easily recognized, and she could finish the deed in a single, fleeting moment.

Hiding her face with her stolen Scout regiment cloak, Annie landed gracefully on the barrier enclosing the test subjects. The two beasts were secured to the ground with large, ultrahard metal bolts and sturdy, steel wires. Deprived of sunlight for so long, they were unable to show much movement.

 _Adler ruined everything._ Annie mused, without any real venom.

The original plan had been for Reiner to come along with her, but after Trost, that had become far, too risky. With their covers blown, they could not afford to risk both of them being captured, and Bert lacked the needed assertiveness to accomplish the mission on his own.

 _With the way, they're treating them . . . . if only they knew._ Annie was curious about how they would react to that kind of knowledge. However, she could not allow them to know.

She sharply unsheathed her swords, preparing to land the killing blows.

 _"Now!"_

A sudden force knocked the blades right out of her hands and toppled her clean off her perch. She cried out but instinctively landed on her feet. She heard the sound of ODM gas being used and turned to face her attacker.

Multiple people lunged at her, and Annie couldn't dodge in time. She felt herself being overpowered and gagged. Her arms were summarily restrained, and her maneuvering gear was ripped off.

Seeing no other choice, she focused her mind and pierced herself with her ring.

Yellow lightning mightily, struck the ground beneath her feet, lighting up the night sky, and incinerating Annie's attackers.

From the ash and destruction, the Female Titan arose menacingly.

* * *

 **A/N: Please review.**

 _ **Next chapter: The struggle against the Female Titan, and the filling of many plotholes.**_


	9. Very Important AN

Authors Note-

It's been nearly a year since I started writing it, but I've decided that this **version** of **Klein** has to come to an end. I will soon be posting the fanfiction that Klein _should_ have been. I write fanfictions for fun, but I too have a standard. I don't think the current version of Klein is salvageable.

Be on the lookout for **Abettor** **.** It will be the _actual_ version of Klein, take the current version as a pilot. I will keep Klein on this site, but I'm labeling it _complete_.

Hopefully, you can expect the first chapter of the remake in late March-early April (not making any promises!), maybe May.

It will have the same general premise, OCs, and main characters. However, it will be by far superior in terms of character development, storyline, and grammar etc. I'm sure that you noticed the first five chapters were generally recycled dialogue from the anime. That won't happen in the remake. All of it will be original content. The plot will be much more intricate. It won't be the exact same story as Klein.

The updates will also be more regular, since this time I actually have a planned plot instead of writing plot devices on the fly. We'll progress through the story much faster than we did in Klein.

One of the reasons Abettor even has to be made is the **lack of feedback** I got on Klein. It has thirty follows, yet very few reviews. I hope that all my followers will also follow Abettor(if they like it), but I hope much more for **actual feedback and reviews**. I'll respond to your questions myself. Even a simple three-word phrase is sufficient. I'm very committed to Abettor.

Also, expect a short **Naruto** fanfiction soon. I'm also taking **prompts** , so PM me.

 _~Reddepth._

 _ **Abettor is now up.**_


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